Same Difference
by Beyond Kailani
Summary: AU. One small change can make all the difference...Someone thought lost returns
1. Dawn Island

**Author Note**: If only, if only…This is set in anime-verse (if you're interested in small details like that!) just because I happen to be more familiar with the anime than the manga.

Shout out to AuthenticAussie, my wonderful beta!

**XXX**

**Chapter 1 - Dawn Island **

**XXX**

Sabo had never felt attachment to any one place before. The family house had been closer to a mausoleum than a home; nothing was to be touched lest one damaged the family treasures. Baltigo was built much like a fortress, and indeed it needed to be in order to best protect the Revolutionaries laying their lives on the line to bring about change to the world.

But as the sixteen year old wandered through the tons of trash and caught sight of the start of the forest trail that lead into the mountain, Sabo finally understood what some of his colleagues meant when they said somewhere felt like coming home. He couldn't help the broad grin that spread across his face as the enormous trees welcomed him into their cool shade.

It had taken weeks of pleading and bargaining on Sabo's part to even begin to get his leader, Dragon, to consider taking him along on a routine inspection of East Blue. Sabo was not an overly emotional person, not like Luffy, but the thought of the Revolutionaries passing so close to Dawn Island had sent Sabo into an almost frenzy like state. He wanted to see his brothers. He _needed_ to see his brothers. He couldn't bear the thought of letting them think he was dead any longer than necessary. And Sabo was certain they thought him dead. How could they not when the whole of Goa Kingdom had been witness to his rather spectacular departure from port? News travelled fast on the small island and he was under no illusion that Ace and Luffy would have found out eventually. He half suspected Dragon had only reluctantly agreed to his inclusion on the trip in order to calm him down.

"You have one week, Sabo, so make the most of it," Dragon had warned. "We cannot afford to be in the area for any longer or the marines may catch wind of us. And you must swear that you will not do anything to draw attention to yourself. The last thing we need right now is one of our senior officers shipped off to Impel Down."

Sabo had quickly agreed and after a three month voyage whereby they had stopped off at various outposts along the way - nearly driving the blond to distraction with the various delays - they had finally reached Dawn Island mere hours ago.

He had steered well clear of Goa City despite there being very little risk of anyone recognising him. There was nothing for him there. Gray Terminal had been easy enough to navigate despite the location of the trash heaps shifting like waves on the ocean. There were the usual gaunt faces peering out at him from beneath badly made shelters but no one had stopped him. No one had even attempted to approach him. The inhabitants all knew how to scent weakness, it was fundamental to their survival, but there had been none of that emanating from Sabo as he had confidently picked his way slowly but surely across the wasteland.

Sabo paused to brace himself against a gnarled tree trunk as he breathed in deeply, drinking in the fresh mountain air. He looked up through the canopy to gauge the position of the sun, suddenly considering the time. It was after midday, far too late for his brothers to still be sleeping at their old base, if indeed it had been able to stand the test of time given the shape it had been in shortly before he had been forced to leave. They certainly wouldn't be with the bandits any longer than necessary. Hoping his brothers hadn't changed their habits too much, Sabo concluded he was best heading for their old training ground as they were bound to wind up there at some point during the afternoon.

It was a great deal easier to reach than he remembered, with the large fallen trees and deep undergrowth no longer offering quite the same challenge to his sixteen year old self that they had to a ten year old child.

Sabo paused as a loud curse erupted from somewhere in front of him. A small smile broke across his face and he hurried forwards, stopping just short of the sun soaked clearing.

His breath hitched faintly as he finally spotted his little brother, barely twenty meters from him, dusting himself off. There was no sign of Ace but he couldn't be far away. They'd had an unspoken rule between them that Luffy was never to be left alone for too long. Not after he had eaten some wild mushrooms and been unable to stop laughing for three hours – _that_ had been an interesting afternoon.

Sabo quietly observed the dark haired youth in front of him. He had gotten so _big_, Sabo noted, pride welling up in his chest. He looked like he was beginning to lose some of the plump baby fat from around his face but he was still very scrawny. His signature straw hat was hanging around his neck, wafting gently in the warm summer breeze.

Sabo watched with fond nostalgia as Luffy prepared himself, left hand reaching up to grasp his right shoulder as he drew back his arm into a familiar pose.

"Gum Gum Pistol!" Luffy cried, launching his fist towards a large rock and throwing his whole body into the attack. For a single moment, Sabo thought Luffy would actually strike it and so did Luffy judging by the wide grin that appeared, but at the last second his feet seemed to go from under him and the punch went wide. Sabo winced slightly as Luffy fell forwards, landing hard. His arm quickly snapped back to its normal length. "Damn it," Luffy whined.

Sabo sighed, shoulders slumping. Whilst it seemed Luffy's control over his Devil Fruit was certainly improving, his aim still left something to be desired. Sabo watched with admiration however, as Luffy pushed himself up and readied himself for another attempt.

Unable to stay still, Sabo stepped forward, absently leaning his pipe against a tree stump as he quickly judged what was wrong with Luffy's stance.

As Luffy drew back his arm, Sabo broke his silence.

"Spread your feet more," he called, just loud enough to be heard over Luffy's own cry. To Sabo's surprise, rather than losing concentration, Luffy immediately did as instructed and managed to land a solid hit onto the rock. A small cloud of dust erupted from the impact point but the rock itself remained intact.

Sabo started ever so slightly as Luffy spun around exuberantly, straw hat swinging wildly on its string.

Luffy cocked his head in consideration, his grin turning into a baffled frown as he spotted the blond. Sabo shifted self-consciously under Luffy's penetrating gaze, suddenly far more aware of the scar on his face than he had been in years and more than a little afraid he had been gone too long for Luffy to even remember him anymore. His fears were laid to rest however as Luffy finally broke the silence.

"Sabo?" Luffy whispered hesitantly, face scrunched up in confusion.

The blond nodded slowly. "It's been a while," he said softly, not too sure what to make of Luffy's bewildered expression. His brother managed to surprise him once again however when he simply broke into a wide grin and shook his head, straw hat flapping enthusiastically behind him.

"Uh-uh," Luffy laughed. "I see you all the time. You sound different though." Sabo froze, eyes widening.

"What?" he managed to choke out. Luffy took a couple of steps closer but never made to reach for him.

"Ace sees you too," Luffy continued without missing a beat. "But he never likes to admit he does. Makino said it's because he's embarrassed. Where did the scar come from? That's so cool looking!"

Luffy thought he was imagining him, Sabo realised with a jolt as his heart squeezed painfully tight in his chest. He was vaguely aware that Luffy was still speaking but he could barely hear a word as his vision tunneled and he swayed dangerously for several seconds until managed to take a deep gulp of air.

The sudden silence caught his attention. He refocused on his brother to see Luffy staring at him curiously, head tilted.

"Why is Sabo so sad?" Luffy asked, bemused at his brother's strange behaviour.

Sabo chuckled apologetically and smiled gently. "I'm not sad, Luffy," he assured his brother, causing a wide grin to break out on the other's face. _Guilty would the better word,_ Sabo thought, chest aching.

"Oh good," Luffy said, bouncing lightly on the balls of his feet. "You're really tall now! You might even be taller than Ace. I wonder why? Ah, well, it's a mystery! Shishishi!"

Sabo slipped off his leather gloves, stashing them in his pockets as Luffy continued to ramble on, hands gesturing excitedly every which way and his whole body practically vibrating with energy. Sabo shook his head in amusement. Luffy really hadn't changed at all. He stepped forward cautiously to close the final distance between them.

"Luffy," Sabo said, pleased to hear his voice didn't betray his nerves as he raised his hand and reached up towards Luffy's face, the other's gaze following his every movement, suddenly much more alert. Sabo hesitated for half a second before firmly pinching Luffy's cheek, stretching the skin away from the bone as he had done so many times in the past. He allowed the skin to snap back sharply, causing Luffy to lurch sideways.

Luffy reached up to massage his cheek, glaring angrily up at the blond.

"Don't do that!" he cried.

Sabo smiled softly. "Luffy, I'm really here. I can touch you," he said, slowly removing his top hat. Luffy stared, his eyes going impossibly wide as realisation dawned on him. His hand fell limply away from his face as Sabo once again reached up to gently cup Luffy's cheek in his palm. His thumb gently skimmed the thin scar running underneath Luffy's eye. "See?"

Sabo waited patiently as Luffy's gaze drank him in, cataloguing all the changes, big and small, in his appearance.

"Sabo?" Luffy whispered. Sabo nodded, letting his hand fall away. But Luffy lunged for it frantically, grip tight as he focused on Sabo's face, eyes flickering to the scar. "How are you…You're…But you _died_," Luffy stammered, clearly confused and tears gathering.

Sabo shook his head quickly. "No, I didn't. Someone saved me, I've been with them," he said, almost stumbling over his words in his haste to explain. He had a sudden rush of self-loathing as Luffy's anguished face stared up at him in disbelief. He should have found a way to come back sooner.

There was a pregnant pause before Luffy released a pained cry and Sabo found himself abruptly snatched into a hard embrace. Luffy wailed loudly, desperately, hands fisted in the back of Sabo's coat. The blond felt his own eyes watering as he wrapped his arms tightly around Luffy in return, one hand coming to rest on the small of his back and the other gripping Luffy's dark hair, top hat falling forgotten to the ground.

"We thought you were dead!" Luffy moaned, quickly drenching the front of Sabo's blue shirt with his tears.

Sabo dropped his head onto Luffy's and ran a shaky hand up and down his back, attempting to soothe the distraught teen.

"Shh, it's okay," he murmured, as Luffy went about burying his face in Sabo's chest. "It's okay. I'm here now." His brother merely continued to sob loudly, his whole body trembling violently. Sabo swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. "I didn't mean to let you think I was gone," he whispered, voice cracking dangerously.

"_Luffy!" _

Sabo jumped as a surprisingly mature voice called out from just beyond the tree line. He raised his head as Luffy twisted in his arms but never slackened his hold.

"Ace," Luffy croaked, voice hoarse from crying. Sabo caught movement in the shade to his right before someone burst into the clearing, panting heavily.

"What the hell is wron-" the person froze abruptly.

"Ace, Sabo's back!" Luffy cried, a delighted smile finally breaking out across his face.

Sabo held his breath as the achingly familiar figure took a couple of halting steps towards them. The freckled teen didn't say anything for several anxious seconds, his dark gaze darting between the pipe and top hat before finally locking eyes with Sabo. Ace shook his head minutely.

"N-no, Luffy, that can't be Sabo," Ace ground out, jaw tense and fingers clenching into fists.

Luffy frowned, casting a questioning glance up at Sabo. "But it is," he insisted.

"Sabo is dead," said Ace flatly, expression blank. Sabo's stomach knotted painfully. That face reminded him so much of the Ace before Luffy had entered their lives. "Dogra saw his boat blow up, remember?"

Sabo blinked in surprise. He had no idea why the mountain bandit would have been in town but the poor man had obviously been the unfortunate bearer of bad news.

Unable to stand Ace's accusing glare, Sabo gently detached himself from Luffy, who whined in protest, and turned, allowing the other to see him in full profile. Ace visibly recoiled as he gaped at Sabo's scarred face.

Sabo smiled sadly at his reaction. "My boat was blown up," he told them, forcing away the memory of heat and flames licking his skin as Luffy and Ace both stared in him equal measures of horror. Sabo drew in a sharp breath. "Luckily for me, the Revolutionary Army's leader witnessed the whole thing and rescued me. He had a Devil Fruit user aboard his ship and they were able to save my life. I've been with them ever since. This is the first chance I've had to come back," Sabo explained, watching Ace cautiously.

Only the gentle rustling of the trees was heard for several endless moments as his two brothers absorbed the information. Sabo watched with mild trepidation as Ace shook his head and glowered at him even as he gestured for Luffy to move away from the blond.

"That's a good story," Ace hissed, stalking forward, open shirt flaring around him. Sabo's shoulders slummed in dismay even as his mind raced, trying to think of anything that would convince his brother it was really him. "But anyone could've come up with that. Now get the hell away from my brother before I-"

"My dream was to write a book," Sabo said softly. Ace froze barely three feet away, fist half raised. Luffy gasped behind him. "I wanted to write a book about my adventures as pirate. I might not be a pirate, but the dream is still the same," he declared, meeting his brother's bewildered stare.

Ace's arm dropped limply to his side. "You're really Sabo? Our Sabo?" he demanded, voice breaking ever so slightly.

"Did you miss me?" Sabo asked, unable to stop the grin creeping across his face despite the bitter taste of guilt on his tongue.

"You - You goddamn-"Ace roared as he swung wildly. Sabo ducked to side, easily catching Ace's fist in his palm. He could feel his brother shaking. "Who would miss a bastard like you," Ace choked, head low as he stepped forward, yanking his hand back roughly before throwing his arms around the blond's neck in a painful grasp.

Sabo couldn't help himself; he released a burst of hysterical laughter that had his eyes streaming and shook his entire frame, forcing the pair to the ground as their knees buckled. The tears came hard and fast, laughter quickly giving way to sobs as he buried his face in the crook of Ace's neck, the familiar scent overwhelming him. He squeezed his eyes shut as he was pulled even tighter against a firm body and a pair of hands clutched hard at his shoulders.

"Now who's the cry baby," Ace muttered thickly, hot puffs of breath tickling Sabo's throat.

"You," Sabo teased when he could finally breathe again, pulling back enough to lift a trembling hand to wipe Ace's freckled and suspiciously damp cheek. Ace knocked it away with a glare which was ruined immediately by the smile of pure joy that bloomed on his face. Sabo grinned back.

"Shishishi!"

Sabo and Ace both looked up to see Luffy beaming fondly at them, tears flowing down his face unchecked.

Sabo unlocked an arm from around Ace and offered it towards their younger brother. Luffy launched himself forward, flying into them and entwining his arms around the pair several times. Three heads knocked together painfully but it did nothing to stop the mirth bubbling up in each of them.

"We missed you," Luffy declared a short while later when the tears and laughter had finally stopped.

"I missed you guys, too," Sabo admitted. Never in his life had Sabo felt so many emotions at once as he stared at his brothers, hardly able to believe they were finally in front of him again. He wasn't sure what to do with himself. He felt like he should be up and moving but couldn't bring himself to dislodge Luffy. Ace had no such problem however as he extracted himself from the rubbery embrace and sat back on his hunches, wiping a hand roughly over his face.

"Sabo," said Luffy, somewhat tentatively. Sabo looked down at the teen where he was leaning heavily against his side. "Um, can I…" He trailed off uncertainly, but his aborted twitch towards the blond's face gave him away.

Sabo smiled in understanding, planting himself crossed legged in front of Luffy. "Course you can."

Luffy pushed up onto his knees quickly and very gently, as though he was afraid of hurting him, traced the edges of the scar which took up most of the left side of his face. People had touched it before, of course. He'd had it examined by several Revolutionary doctors in the year following the attack to check that it was healing and that his sight hadn't been affected. But none of the Revolutionaries knew what he looked like without it and Sabo couldn't fault Luffy for wanting to touch and familiarise himself; he was a tactile person after all.

"Is it okay now? Does it hurt?" asked Luffy, concern clearly audible, fingers feather light as they danced across the scarred skin.

"Not anymore," Sabo reassured him with a smile. He had been very lucky that it was the only injury that Ivankov hadn't been able to completely heal considering the state Dragon had found him in. It was truly a miracle he could still see at all.

"How close a call was it really?"

Sabo glanced over to Ace, who was nervously picking blades of grass. He sighed heavily. Ace really knew how to ask the tough questions.

"About as close to dead as you can get without actually being...well, dead," he admitted quietly. Ace swallowed hard and nodded briskly. Sabo felt a minute shudder go through Luffy before the younger resumed his exploration.

"Is that the only one?" Ace asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over them. Sabo opened his eyes, not quite sure when he closed them, and hummed.

"The only one from the explosion, yes," he said as Luffy's hands moved up to drag through feathery blond strands. "I have a scar on my hip now, too."

"What was that from?" Ace frowned.

Sabo coughed, suddenly embarrassed. "I, um, fell off a roof." Ace and Luffy burst into laughter. "Oh, shut up, it wasn't my fault! The stupid marine chasing us slipped and grabbed me as he went down," Sabo grumbled, blushing.

"It sounds like you have some interesting stories to share," said Ace, grinning. Luffy simply nestled closer to Sabo, humming when the blond threw an arm around his shoulders.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Sabo insisted with a bright smile.

Ace snorted. He picked up Sabo's fallen top hat and dropped it onto Luffy's head, the brim sliding down to cover his eyes.

"Let's hear 'em."

**xxx**

Delighted laughter broke through the growing gloom. Sabo gasped for air as Luffy fell backwards, clutching his stomach and howling at Ace's impersonation of Garp from his last visit.

"He wasn't right pleased," Ace finished, grinning proudly.

"I can't believe he's still harping on at you guys to be marines," Sabo said, shaking his head and reaching for another piece of meat.

"He'll never quit. Even when we're famous pirates he'll be yelling we need to be stand up members of the navy," said Ace, before knocking aside Luffy's hands which had wandered too close to the final piece of meat hanging over the fire. "That's not yours! You've eaten over half the damn deer, leave the rest for us!"

Sabo watched with fond amusement as the usual argument and punches were thrown. Some things never changed and it seemed the two D's were still ruled primarily by their stomachs.

He had been concerned when Luffy had declared himself to be hungry that joining the pair on a hunt would throw off their now very obvious teamwork. But to Sabo's immense relief, rather than being awkward and stiff, he had meshed seamlessly into their rhythm. It was like he had never been away. It had warmed Sabo's chest and judging by the elated grins Ace and Luffy had been sporting as they stood victorious over their prey, he had not been the only one who felt like he had found a missing piece of himself.

Luffy whined, rubbing at his bruised head and watching forlornly as Ace devoured the final piece of meat. Sabo cleared his throat and waved the meat in his possession in Luffy's direction. He snorted as Luffy's eyes followed it hungrily. He threw the steak at his brother who caught it eagerly and set upon it like he hadn't eaten in days.

"You spoil him," said Ace, shaking his head.

"I have six years to make up for," Sabo shrugged, leaning back against the tree stump comfortably and closing his eyes, full and content. He only just caught Ace's next words.

"I'm sorry."

Sabo rolled his head towards Ace, not sure he had heard him right. "Sorry? For what?"

Ace shifted nervously next to him, shoulder bumping lightly against Sabo. He glanced over to Luffy who was still happily munching away and barely paying any attention to them, before turning to Sabo.

"We never went to get you," he said. Sabo frowned, confused. "When your father took you away, we didn't go after you. If we had, maybe you wouldn't have had to leave and you wouldn't have nearly died," Ace visibly shuddered. Sabo sighed but Ace continued in a rush. "We- no…_I_ thought you'd be better off with them."

"It wouldn't have made any difference, Ace," Sabo said quietly. He'd had plenty of time during his initial recovery to think of how things could have been had one of them done just one thing differently. But he'd come to the same conclusion every time. "If by some chance you had managed to get me, or I'd escaped and that fire had never happened, my father would still have come after me. And he wouldn't have let you and Luffy go a second time. He would've killed you for humiliating him," Sabo said bluntly. Ace stared at him. He smiled softly, nudging the other's lightly with his elbow. "I wouldn't change what happened for anything. You and Luffy were safe, that's all that mattered to me."

Ace frowned, looking more than a little confused and upset, his dark eyes worried. "But-"

"No, Ace," Sabo cut him off firmly. "If anything, I should be apologising to you for not finding some way to contact you the last six years."

"No regrets," Luffy cut in suddenly. The two older brothers turned to grinning youth. "Ace, you said we had to live a life with no regrets. We're all together now. It worked out okay in the end. Shishishi!"

Sabo cast a glance at Ace who was staring at their younger brother in surprise. Sabo smiled. Luffy really did know how to break things down to their simplest form.

"Hey, we need to tell Sabo about that giant millipede!" Luffy exclaimed as Ace visibly pulled himself together. "Oh, and about the time that bear mauled me. And when-"

"Whoa, back up! Mauled by a bear? You were mauled by a _bear_?!" Sabo shouted, sitting up sharply. He couldn't help casting a worried glance over his brother despite the fact Luffy had shown no signs of injury at all. Luffy nodded, grinning proudly. "When was this?" he asked weakly.

"Not long after you left," said Luffy.

Sabo frowned and turned to Ace. "Where were you?" There was an awkward pause. Sabo's eyes narrowed as he observed Ace's hunched posture and downcast eyes. His whole body screamed 'guilty'.

"Ace was there, he-"

"You know what? I don't think I need to hear the rest," Sabo stated, holding up a hand to stop Luffy. Ace cast him a wary glance. He looked like he expected the blond to take a swing for him but Sabo merely heaved a sigh. He couldn't fault Ace's behaviour. He hadn't been exactly rational during the first few months he'd been separated from his brothers either. Albeit, he knew they were alive whereas they thought they had lost him for good, but he had still felt the loss just as keenly as they had. He smiled encouragingly as Ace slowly uncurled his stooped shoulders. "No regrets, yeah?"

A small, grateful smile spread across Ace's face and he bobbed his head in agreement.

"Hey Sabo, wanna hear about when Dogra fell into the ravine and Ace had to rescue him?"

Ace suddenly frowned and turned to Luffy. "That was you, Luffy," he said dryly.

Luffy paused before laughing. "Oh yeah!"

Sabo shook his head as Ace rolled his eyes.

"So," Ace drawled, "how long can you stay for?" he asked, picking up Sabo's nearby hat and casually inspecting the goggles. Sabo wasn't fooled however; he had been wondering when one of them would gather the nerve to ask.

"Dragon-san has finished his inspection of the East Blue outposts as of now, really. He only stopped off here because I, erm, may have badgered him. I have a week before I need to go," said Sabo, regretfully. Ace's shoulders slumped faintly.

"Go?" Luffy asked in alarm. He lurched up onto his knees, a hand reaching out to grasp Sabo's arm tightly. "You can't leave, we just got you back!"

"Luffy, you know I can't stay," Sabo reminded him, somewhat apologetically. He reached out to brush Luffy's unkempt black hair out of his eyes. "I have responsibilities with the Revolutionaries now. There are things I need to do. And want to do," Sabo added. As much as he had missed his brothers and relished being with them again, he had gone to them solely for the purpose of seeing them. He had never planned on staying. He couldn't and wouldn't abandon his post. He wanted to live in a world where no one ever had to hear that a loved one had died at the hands of a Celestial Dragon again and in order to that, he needed to be with the Revolutionaries. Already there were big changes happening in South Blue and Sabo wanted to see that same thing happening across the world.

"It's not forever, Luffy. You'll see me again," Sabo said confidently. Luffy remained silent, head down and eyes shrouded in shadows. Sabo shared a concerned look with Ace who shrugged helplessly.

"Do you have good nakama?" Luffy finally asked after what seemed like an eternity.

"The best," Sabo said fondly, as Koala and Hack came to mind. He wasn't sure what they were doing right now or when he would next see them but they were the best companions Sabo could have asked for. They kept him sane and..._mostly_ in line.

"Are you happy?" Luffy looked up, eyes narrowing as he stared hard at the blond, who was a little taken aback by the seriousness his little brother was radiating.

"Yes," said Sabo, not breaking eye contact.

Luffy broke into a wide grin, relaxing instantly. "Then that's okay! Ace is right, we're brothers no matter where we are. We'll meet out there on the sea where we'll be freer than anyone else," he declared, finally releasing the death grip he had on Sabo's wrist.

Ace shook his head, smiling warmly as Sabo reached out to drag a willing Luffy into a one armed hug.

"We will," Sabo agreed, sharing a grin with Ace. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you'll both do."

"I'm gonna be Pirate King, of course," Luffy exclaimed, as he slouched happily against Sabo, head tucked under the blond's chin.

"The world isn't gonna know what hit it," Ace laughed.

**xxx**

Sabo jerked awake as a sharp hiss reached his ears. He stared groggily at Ace standing by the fire, emptying the final dregs of water from his canister onto the dying flames. He glanced down and noticed Luffy curled up next to him, snoring lightly.

"Sorry," Ace mumbled, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"'S okay," Sabo yawned. "Probably not a good idea to sleep out here anyway. Isn't it the boars' mating season?" They were notoriously fierce at the best of times and Sabo didn't feel up to running into one. Or having one run across them.

Ace nodded and nudged Luffy with his foot. "Come on, Lu, wake up. We need to head for Dadan's."

"But 'm comfy," Luffy moaned, not moving a muscle.

"You'll be comfier inside, let's go," Ace grumbled, kicking him again.

It didn't take them long to reach the bandit's hut which was shrouded in darkness, everyone obviously having already retired for the night. Sabo chuckled silently at the two 'countries' that had sprung up in his absence. Ace shrugged at his questioning look, completely unrepentant.

"Sabo can sleep in my country," Luffy announced, moving forward before being jerked back as Ace grabbed his shirt. He gave Luffy a small shove in the hut's direction.

"We'll sleep in Dadan's place tonight. There's no way all three of us are squeezing into one of those," Ace stated.

"I never said Ace could sleep in my country," said Luffy cheekily, ducking around Sabo to avoid Ace's glare.

"Don't be greedy, you can't have Sabo all to yourself," Ace argued. Sabo shook his head and took a step in the direction of the hut in a bid to disrupt the potential squabble.

"Wait!" Luffy shouted abruptly, causing both older brothers to hurriedly shush him. "Sorry, but we need to this properly," he said before bounding to the door of the hut and spinning around. He beamed at Sabo who raised an eyebrow in question. "Welcome home, Sabo!"

Sabo gaped for several seconds before Ace slung an arm around his shoulders, overbalancing him. "What do you say?" he asked with a grin, shaking Sabo a couple of times but fortunately ignoring the moisture Sabo could feel clouding his vision.

Sabo grinned weakly. "I'm back," he stuttered. Luffy giggled before flinging the door open, luckily remembering not to let it slam.

Sabo allowed Ace to guide him inside, thankful for the support as he felt his knees turn to jelly the moment he stepped over the threshold. A rush of nostalgia struck him as he gazed around the modest accommodation, noting that nothing seemed to have changed. He breathed in deeply, savouring the musty scent of wood and smoke. He could hear the bandits snoring heavily from the sleeping quarters and Sabo had to resist taking a quick peek. He had surprised himself during the first year at how much he missed their familiar presence but he could see them in the morning.

Sabo turned to see Ace and Luffy pulling a pile of blankets out of a trunk in the corner and moved to help, discarding his pipe and top hat to one side. Out the corner of his eye, he could see his brothers staring at him as they worked and he quirked a brow at them both.

Ace grinned a little sheepishly at his enquiring look. "Sorry, it's just, I never thought we'd see you here again. It's a little weird having you back." He paused, suddenly realising what he'd said and continued in a rush. "Not that we're not happy you're back! It's just…" he trailed off helplessly.

Sabo grinned, shrugging out of his coat easily before collapsing down onto his share of the blankets.

"I know what you mean," he offered as he cast another look around the large main room, slowly rolling up his shirt sleeves and loosening his cravat. "It feels weird being back after so long. And it seems smaller," he added as an afterthought.

"Not to me," Luffy said cheerfully, carefully placing his straw hat next to his pillow.

"That's 'cos you haven't been anywhere," Ace pointed out, settling down onto his own bedding one side of Sabo as Luffy flopped down on the other, effectively sandwiching the blond between them.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, the only noise being the odd grunt and snore from the sleeping quarters.

Sabo slowly became aware that he was being watched again. He rolled to face Luffy and gently slapped a hand over his little brother's eyes.

"Stop staring, Luffy, it's creepy," he chided. Ace chuckled behind him. "Go to sleep. I can guarantee you that it won't be quiet when the bandits see me in the morning."

Luffy pouted but made no attempt to remove the hand. "But I'm worried Sabo won't be here when I wake up," he explained.

"Luffy, you were sound asleep barely half an hour ago and he was still here then," Ace said, leaning up over Sabo's shoulder to peer at him.

"Yeah, but you were awake so Sabo couldn't leave without one of us knowing," Luffy muttered, suddenly sounding much younger than his thirteen years.

Sabo frowned. "Luffy, I promise I'm not going anywhere right now. I've been given a week, I'm taking a week. Now come here," Sabo shifted slightly and pulled Luffy close, allowing him to pillow his head on Sabo's left arm and throwing his right over Luffy's thin waist. "Now I can't move without you knowing, okay?"

Luffy nodded happily, immediately curling closer and nuzzling his face into Sabo's collar bone, causing the blond to smile fondly. He jumped a second later when a heavy weight landed against his back.

"Er, Ace?" Sabo whispered but he was unable to twist his head. Heavy breathing tickled the nap of his neck. "Did he just fall asleep on me?" Sabo asked in disbelief.

Luffy nodded sleepily. "Probably. He keeps doing that. He fell asleep eating last week. Makino thought he'd died!"

Sabo laughed silently, shoulders shaking. "I can see the headlines now! _Pirate King's Son Drowns in Soup!_" Luffy snickered, biting his lip to keep quiet.

Ace was going to have to find a very supportive crew when he left in a years' time if they were going to have to put up with their captain possibly falling asleep at impromptu moments, Sabo thought as he settled down, encased between his two brothers and more comfortable than he'd felt in years.

**xxx**

Consciousness came gradually to Sabo. At some point during the night, Ace had rolled away so they were now pressed back to back and Luffy had somehow managed take up over half the makeshift bed, limbs spread out every which way – but he had yet to relinquish his grip on the arm Sabo had slung about his waist.

Sabo felt the wooden floor vibrating as several heavy footsteps began moving past them, obviously heading outside to start the day. There was a soft clicking of nails on the floor as Pochi ran past.

"It must've been cold last night," a considerately quiet voice stated and from quite low down which lead Sabo to conclude it could only have been Dogra. "It looks like Ace, Sabo and Luffy slept inside."

A second pair of much heavier footsteps halted next to them.

"Right, well get them up, they can- wait. _What_ did you just say?"

"I said, Ace, Sabo an…_Sabo?_"

A shrill cry ripped through the hut, seemingly shaking the wooden structure down to its foundations.

"Shut up. It's too early," Ace grumbled unhappily as he rolled over and flung an arm over both his brothers, burying his face in Sabo's shoulder blade. Luffy simply groaned and curled up into a ball against the blond, dragging a blanket up and over his head in defiance to the rude wake up call.

Sabo winced as his ear drums continued to ring and he unwillingly cracked open an eye to see Dadan and Dogra staring down at him. Dadan appeared to be frozen, her mouth hanging open and one beefy hand pointing at him accusingly. Dogra eyes were watering heavily and Sabo suddenly recalled that Ace had said Dogra had witnessed the Celestial Dragon's attack on his boat. Currently unable to move however, thanks to his brothers rather possessive embraces, he could only offer a compassionate smile.

He watched with mild amusement as Dadan's eyes flickered rapidly from one lump to the next, silently counting off the number of brats currently occupying her hut. Sabo realised it could take a while - she wasn't the quickest of the bunch - and so grasped the edge of the blanket and pulled it over his head, joining Luffy underneath.

Luffy stared blearily at him, eyes still heavy with sleep but a welcome smile spreading across his face nonetheless. Ace squeezed the blond in protest to the noise which had erupted around them as Sabo's presence registered with the rest of the bandits. "It's nice to see some things don't change," Sabo whispered with a contented smile.

**XXX**

_**To be continued…**_

I'm plan on going all the way up to the time skip with this one so I hope you're all in it for the long haul ;)

Please remember to favourite / review and let me know what you all thought. I'll admit I'm stupidly nervous as this is the first AU (not to mention multi-chaptered fic) I've attempted in a very long time so it'd be reassuring to hear some feedback!

Updates will be about every 3 weeks unless stated otherwise.


	2. Alabasta

**Author Note**: This takes place during Ace's short visit with the Straw Hats. It follows directly on from the end of episode 95 but events are shifted around a little. Enjoy!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!

Shout out to AuthenticAussie, my beta!

**XXX**

**Chapter 2 - Alabasta **

**XXX**

Ace grinned, watching with amusement as his brother, the reindeer and a guy with an incredibly long nose continued to find wilder and stranger things to toast. Their excitement was contagious, if a little over the top.

Ace dragged his gaze away from them and casually took in the small ship his brother captained. It was rather cosy, Ace admitted. He rather liked the figurehead, although if he didn't know any better, he could have sworn the damn thing had been watching him earlier as he approached on his Striker.

It was a small but sturdy little ship. However…Ace cocked his head in consideration, he had noticed a few wears and tears dotted around. Ace sighed. He wasn't going to be the one to mention to Luffy that his choice of vessel might not survive the rough seas of the Grand Line and the New World if she had already received war wounds just getting the crew out of East Blue. That was something Luffy, as captain, was going to have to figure out for himself.

"Where did Vivi-chan go?"

"She went to lie down. I think being back and actually seeing how bad the situation is has overwhelmed her a little."

"Maybe I should go make sure she's okay? I'm sure she'd like-!"

"Oh, no you don't! Leave her alone, she'll be fine without your assistance."

Ace pulled himself away from his critical scrutiny of the Going Merry and turned to see Nami dragging the rather love-struck cook, Sanji, by the ear. She caught sight of Ace watching them and flashed him a smile, diverting her course towards him.

"So, how long have you been chasing this Blackbeard person?" Turning to the voice, Ace spotted the green haired swordsman who apparently fought with his own 'three sword style'. Ace wanted to see him in action, thoroughly intrigued by how one would be able to wield three swords at once. He didn't think he was going to get his wish any time soon however, as Zoro was currently slouched at the base of the main mast looking very much like he could fall asleep at any moment.

Ace sympathised.

Ace hummed thoughtfully. "About four months now," he said with a shrug, taking a sip of his drink as Nami and Sanji joined them, the cook taking a long drag on his cigarette as he leant against the railing next to the Whitebeard Commander. Luffy whizzed past them, completely oblivious as he swung Chopper around in his arms in some sort of crazy dance. The poor creature looked a little dazed.

"Four months? That's a long time," Usopp commented, finally collapsing to the ground in apparent exhaustion, sweat pouring off him thanks to the burning heat of desert sun.

"Ah, speaking of a long time!" Luffy exclaimed suddenly, dropping Chopper on the railing where he tottered around dangerously before finding his balance. Luffy veered sharply towards his brother, who simply raised an eyebrow as Luffy came to a dead stop in front of him. "Ace, have you seen Sabo recently?"

The Straw Hats were surprised as a genuinely warm smile appeared on Ace's face and Luffy appeared to be vibrating with excitement. They weren't aware that Luffy knew anyone on the Grand Line. Although, having said that, they hadn't known until earlier that day that Luffy even had an older brother, so that was a moot point all in all.

"Sabo?" Chopper asked uncertainly, hunching over slightly as several pairs of eyes turned to look down at him. "Who's Sabo?"

"My other big brother," Luffy said, beaming at them all. A few jaws dropped in surprise.

"You have _another_ brother?" asked Usopp in disbelief, jumping to his feet. "It's not just the two of you?"

Luffy shook his head with a grin. "Nope! There are three of us. Sabo's been at sea for, how many years now?" he asked, turning to Ace.

"Ten years," Ace confirmed, moving to reclaim his seat on top of one the water barrels.

"So Sabo's older than you two then?" Nami asked, slightly puzzled.

Ace shook his head. "No, me and Sabo are both twenty. Circumstances meant that he had to leave earlier than we did," he explained softly.

"We actually thought Sabo had died for a while," Luffy put in nonchalantly, although he edged closer to Ace.

Sanji shared a puzzled glance with Nami and Usopp. "Um, why did you think he was dead?" he asked, cautiously.

Luffy ceased his usual fidgeting immediately even as Ace's jaw clenched in anger. The two brothers shared an uneasy glance, appearing to silently communicate how much they should or could say. After a few tense moments, Ace finally sighed, shoulders slumping. Luffy obviously trusted these people enough to let them join his crew so he couldn't see the harm in revealing a little about their absent brother.

"His boat was shot by a Celestial Dragon as he was leaving port," Ace said, voice barely above a whisper. "Someone we lived with happened to see it and assumed the worst. As it turns out, he was rescued by someone in the Revolutionary Army and had been with them. Sabo came back to Dawn Island about four years ago for a visit."

"I don't think I've ever seen Ace cry like that before," Luffy suddenly snickered, breaking the heavy atmosphere. Ace glared and swiped at Luffy who danced away, cackling.

"I didn't cry," Ace denied with a grumble.

"Shishishi! Yes, you did," Luffy laughed.

Ace frowned, a small blush staining his cheeks. "At least I wasn't blubbing like a baby when it was time for him to leave again." That had been a horrible afternoon for all of them.

Luffy simply shrugged, not embarrassed in the slightest. He had been nearly inconsolable for the better part of three days after Sabo's departure, despite the fact that he knew his brother was returning to good nakama and that they would definitely meet again. He had just wanted longer with the blond after their initial six year separation. He had nearly driven Ace to distraction with his moping.

"So what's your brother Sabo like? Is he like you or Ace?" Chopper asked curiously, tugging lightly on Luffy's shirt to catch his attention.

Luffy laughed as he patted Chopper's head. "Neither of us. Sabo's blond, he has blue eyes and he's a little taller than Ace. Oh! He also has a scar covering the left side of his face. Dadan used to call him the 'responsible one'," Ace snorted in amusement, "and Sabo's a much nicer big brother than Ace!" Luffy finished with a cheeky grin.

"Hey!" Ace exclaimed, looking rather disgruntled at Luffy's declaration. Luffy laughed again and patted consolingly at Ace's arm where his ASCE tattoo stood out proudly.

"They're definitely brothers. See how they interact? Loving one minute, angry the next," Usopp whispered knowingly to Chopper. "Only true brothers can do that. Hey, have I told you yet about the time I had a brother and he was miraculously returned to me…"

Nami purposely blocked out Usopp's wayward tale with a roll of her eyes and turned to her captain, who was happily hanging off his brother's arm and in danger of upending Ace's drink.

"Hang on," she said, "if Ace and Sabo are the same age and you apparently look nothing alike, I'm guessing that means neither one of you is actually related to him?" she puzzled. The rest of the Straw Hats paused, seemingly beginning to understand the oddities.

Ace and Luffy looked at each other before turning to the crew, surprise clouding their expressions.

"Um, no, none of us are related, we're sworn brothers," Ace said as he turned to his brother. "Lu, have you not told them anything about yourself?"

"Wait, you two aren't blood related either?!" Usopp exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the pair. Ace and Luffy shook their heads in unison. "But you're so alike!" he shouted, eyes popping in disbelief.

"We have different last names, how did you think we were blood related?" Luffy asked, head tilted curiously. "That's stupid of you."

Nami growled and made a dive for Luffy, who yelped in alarm and jumped over the snoozing Zoro's legs before darting off towards Merry's figurehead.

"Who are you calling stupid!" she cried, heels clicking as she chased after him, nearly knocking Chopper off the railing. Only Sanji's quick reflexes saved the reindeer from a swim. "You introduced him as your brother! We all assumed that you're actually brothers!"

"We are brothers!" Luffy screeched back, one hand on his head to keep his straw hat in place as he made a swing for the mast. "And Sabo is our other brother!"

"Anyone for another drink?" Sanji asked with a heavy sigh as he made his way towards the galley. The cook sent a swift kick flying at Zoro's head as he passed but the blow was easily blocked by a sheathed sword, the former Pirate Hunter not even bothering to open his eyes.

Ace smiled and took another swing of his water as the rest of the crew went about their business, seemingly intent on ignoring the bickering and screaming coming from the bow of the ship. Luffy had certainly found some interesting nakama, Ace thought, watching his brother fondly as he tried desperately to keep out of reach of the furious redhead. But then, he hadn't expected anything less.

"Thirsty?" Ace asked with a smirk as Luffy rejoined him a short while later, finally free of his navigator's clutches.

Luffy nodded and happily gulped down the offered contents of Ace's tankard.

"So, have you seen Sabo since you left?" Luffy asked, plopping himself down in the small patch of shade offered by the railing and continuing as if they hadn't been interrupted.

Ace dropped down next to him, booted feet stretched out in front of him.

"I saw him once a few of years ago, just after I entered the Grand Line," said Ace, smiling softly as Luffy leaned against him. He would rather die first than admit to it, but he had missed Luffy's steadfast presence the last few years. "He said to say hi."

Luffy grinned. "Was he okay?"

"Err…yeah," Ace said, after a rather long pause.

Luffy pulled back to look Ace in the eye, worry immediately evident on his face. "You hesitated. Was Sabo okay or not?"

Ace bit his lip nervously. "He was okay when I first saw him, but then I think I gave him a heart attack," he shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck and looking rather sheepish.

"Why, what did you do?" asked Luffy, completely bewildered.

Ace signed. "Get comfortable, this could be a long story."

"I don't like long stories. Make it short," Luffy demanded with a pout.

Ace rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. "I'll make it a _short_ long story, then. Now shut up and listen."

**xxx**

_Ace groaned as he resurfaced to consciousness. He was aware there was a hard surface underneath his head, and his neck and shoulders were incredibly stiff. He cracked open an eye and muffled a further groan. _

_The seventeen year old was hunched over on the kitchen table in his ship's galley. He had obviously fallen asleep eating again. Which probably meant that a select few of his crew had no doubt taken full advantage of their unconscious captain to raid the liquor cabinet again. _

_Ace raised his head slowly and cast a quick glance at the cabinet in question. _

_Empty. _

_He pushed himself upright with a put out sigh, scrubbing a hand roughly over his face. He was all for a good drink and wouldn't ever think to ration his crew's ale but he was getting rather tired of funding a select few crew members' wayward parties. He did have plans for those funds and stocking up on fresh ale at every port was not part of it. _

_Ace cast another quick look around the galley, not at all happy at the state of it, but entirely too tired to do anything about it himself. He rose unsteadily to his feet and stretched leisurely, wincing as his back popped. _

_He slowly opened the galley door, which lead directly outside onto the lower deck and breathed in deeply, allowing the cool, crisp spring air to fill his lungs and wake him up. He noticed they were still anchored just off shore of the small island they were restocking at. Good, he nodded. At least the crew hadn't taken it upon themselves to cast off as soon as the log pose had reset like last time, rather than waiting for Ace to wake up. The beating he had given them was clearly still fresh in their minds. _

_Ace sighed again, suddenly bone deep tired, as he rested his head on his arms, staring out at the inky black water below him. _

_He loved being at sea. It was everything he had expected and more. There really was nothing like it, never knowing where he was going to end up, or who he was going to meet. It was exciting and nerve wracking all at the same time. _

_Ace only wished he had a crew that was as completely driven as he was to prove himself. They were all round good men, there was no doubt about that, but there were some aboard that just never seemed to apply themselves. They were treating piracy as if it was a job, not a way of life. _

_Ace missed having someone he could rely on at his back. The crew were loyal and great company, most of the time. He trusted them not to turn him into the marines if they wound up in a sticky situation..._

_But they weren't his brothers. _

_He deeply missed Luffy, more than he thought was possible. He had expected to, of course. After seven years of the kid day in, day out, he knew it would take some adjusting to not having the rubber boy trailing after him, but he was beginning to recognise now how he had taken for granted having someone to watch out for him, and for him to look out for. He had to wonder how Sabo had managed not to go stir crazy the first year he was away from them. _

_Ace shifted, suddenly uncomfortable in his own skin, as the deep ache in his chest which he could ignore so well during the day suddenly made itself known. He needed to stop brooding, he thought, giving himself a small shake and turning from the rail. _

_Ace jumped as a body tumbled from above, landing with a hard thud at his feet. He nudged the limp figure over and stared at the bloody face. That was not one of his crew. _

"_You appear to have a stowaway," a smooth voice called from just above Ace's head. A shadow moved along the upper deck's railing. _

_Ace grinned slowly, pure delight lighting up his face. "Is that what you're calling yourself these days?" he asked, as the lithe figure descended the stairs, boots barely making any sound. _

"_I'm the perfect gentleman. I always announce my arrival." _

_Ace laughed heartily as the person stepped into the shaft of light streaming from the open galley door, revealing the welcome and familiar face of his brother. _

_Sabo returned Ace's smile warmly, scar almost invisible in the shadow of his top hat. He prodded the limp figure at their feet with his pipe. _

"_I assumed this one wasn't one of yours judging by the way he snuck aboard," Sabo explained lightly. "I think you need a better night watchman," he added dryly. _

_Ace suddenly groaned as his memory returned to him. A door slammed open on the upper deck. _

"_Thirdy! I heard a…Captain? What's going on here?" _

_Ace and Sabo looked up to see a bearded man leaning over the railing, staring at them with surprise. _

"_Felix, is Thirdy supposed to be on watch tonight?" Ace snapped, as Sabo gracefully stepped over the unconscious man and into the galley, stripping off his gloves as he went, content to let Ace handle his crew. _

_Felix nodded slowly. Ace glared. "Then go find him, wherever the hell he is, and tell him to get rid of this piece of crap," Ace kicked the lump, "and let him know he can get rid of himself at the same time! That's the third time this month he's slacked on watch. I've had enough," he growled. _

"_Aye, Captain," Felix quickly jumped to attention and charged down the stairs, nearly tripping in his haste. "What about him?" Felix nodded towards the galley. _

"_He's my brother," Ace said simply, ignoring the look of surprise on his first mate's face and slamming the galley door shut behind him as he entered. He saw Sabo had made himself at home crossed legged atop the kitchen table. _

"_We have chairs, you know," Ace said but he simply heaved himself up to join his brother and sat next him, feet kicking up to rest on a bench._

_Sabo grinned. "I had noticed." _

"_How did you know I'd be here?" Ace asked, leaning back onto his hands. _

"_I didn't," Sabo shrugged, lifting his top hat and dropping it onto the table behind them. Ace noticed the blond had grown his hair out even more since their last meeting. "We're restocking on the island, same as you. Pure coincidence I assure you. So, how's our little brother been since I last saw you? Has he grown into that straw hat yet?" he wondered with a wry grin. _

_Ace snorted. "No. And he's the same as always, you know Luffy. Still screaming at whoever will listen he's gonna be Pirate King."_

_Sabo laughed before turning his eyes onto Ace, who shifted uncomfortably under the weight of the blond's __scrutinising__ gaze. _

"_And what about you?" Sabo asked softly. "How's the life of piracy treating you?" _

_Ace slumped as though the weight of the world had just landed on his shoulders. He toppled sideways until his head landed on Sabo's shoulder. _

"_That bad, huh?" Sabo stated, as he wrapped an arm around Ace's shoulders. _

"_Not bad, just different," Ace said, finally allowing everything to flow out unheeded in the familiar and comforting presence of his oldest friend. Sabo simply sat and listened, never interrupting and keeping a strong arm around his brother's shoulders. _

_Ace finally lapsed into silence. _

"_Ace, it's never gonna be easy setting out on your own for the first time. It'd be boring if it was," Sabo said, giving Ace a small nudge upright so he could look him in the face. "I was relatively lucky since I was with Dragon-san right from the start but I promise you that when you find the right people, nothing will even come close in comparison. It'll make all the hard work worth it." _

_Ace nodded slowly, digesting his brother's words. Maybe Sabo was right (and annoyingly he usually was), maybe he just hadn't found the right people yet, Ace reasoned. _

"_I saw your wanted poster the other day, by the way. Very impressive bounty," Sabo told him and Ace could have sworn he heard a touch of pride seeping to his voice. _

_Ace grinned. "Want to see why it's so high?"_

_Sabo nodded eagerly. _

"_Okay, give me your hand," Ace requested, jumping to his feet and grabbing Sabo's arm, forcing him up. "Check this out," he smirked. He focused all his attention onto the hand grasping Sabo and felt for the burning heat in his chest that had become an integral part of himself and guided it down his arm and into his palm. _

_The result was instantaneous. _

_As soon as Sabo saw the flames licking at their skin, he yelped and jerked back roughly knocking aside a couple of chairs in his haste. Ace didn't think he had ever heard such a wounded cry from his brother before. He quickly extinguished the flames, unwilling to set his ship alight in the sudden confusion. _

"_Shit! Sabo! What the hell are-" Ace froze, temper dying down instantly as he caught sight of the pure panic on his brother's face. He was deathly pale and shaking so hard that Ace was surprised the ship wasn't rocking from the force. "Sabo?"_

_Ace took a small step forwarded but stopped abruptly when Sabo flinched, his hand running up and down his arm as though trying to rub out the nonexistent flames. Ace watched him for several seconds, certain the only reason the blond wasn't on his knees was solely because of the support of the wall he was huddled against. Sabo's wild gaze darted between his own hand and Ace nervously. _

"_Sabo, I wasn't gonna let the fire hurt you," Ace said, forcing himself to speak calmly, but more than a little hurt his brother didn't seem to trust him. _

"_I know," Sabo gasped for breath. "It's just…seeing fire on my skin like that…" he trailed off weakly, squeezing his eyes shut tight. _

_Ace balked. He felt like the world's biggest idiot. Of course Sabo would freak out at seeing himself on fire. His ill-fated departure from Dawn Island had left his boat a smoldering wreck by all accounts, with the consequences of the attack clear for everyone to see on the young Revolutionary's face. _

"_God, Sabo, I'm sorry! Shit, I didn't think," Ace rambled apologetically. "I didn't realise you'd react to fire like that." _

"_I don't normally, but then most people don't usually try setting me on fire," Sabo said, trying to smile reassuringly but failing miserably. "That definitely wasn't your best idea!" _

_"Sorry," Ace repeated feebly, guilt sitting heavily on his chest. "Um, are you okay?" he asked. Sabo nodded weakly and finally took a step towards the young captain. He punched Ace lightly in the shoulder. _

"_I'm fine. I would've appreciated a warning though," Sabo released a heavy breath and dropped into a chair. "So, a fire type Devil Fruit?"_

_Ace nodded and perched on the edge of the table next to his brother, watching him carefully but Sabo appeared to have regained some of his composure. _

"_Yeah, the Mera Mera no Mi. I found it just before we entered the Grand Line," he explained. He felt confident enough to set his whole arm aflame again. Sabo watched with interest, the light of the flames reflected in his eyes. _

"_Mm, logia type. That could prove pretty useful for you," Ace heard the blond mutter. "Did you mistake it for desert like Luffy?" Sabo teased, unexpectedly reaching out a hand with barely a tremble and let it hover over the flames, allowing the heat to soak into his skin, showing faith in his brother's ability to control the element which had so badly scarred him and warming Ace's chest in a way that had nothing to do with his Devil Fruit._

"_No, I found it. It wasn't hard to work out what it was. It looked pretty damn weird," said Ace, as the flames slowly disappeared. _

_Sabo chuckled lightly and reached into his coat pocket. "Speaking of weird, check this out."_

_Ace raised an eyebrow at the presented piece of paper and small snail Sabo slapped into his hands. "What the hell is this?" he asked._

"_I would've hoped by now you'd recognise a baby den den mushi when you saw one," Sabo teased, skillfully dodging Ace's halfhearted swipe at his head. _

"_I meant this thing and you know it," said Ace, completely puzzled as he studied the paper. _

_Sabo grinned. "It's a vivre card." _

**xxx**

"Wow, you are really stupid, Ace," Luffy stated simply from his spot with his head in Ace's lap. Ace glared down at him.

"I don't want to hear that from you," he said, flicking Luffy hard in the temple.

"I'm surprised Sabo didn't dunk you in the ocean for scaring him like that," Luffy giggled at the image.

"So am I," Ace admitted. He half suspected the only reason he hadn't been was because Sabo had been too shaken to even consider doing so at the time.

But the blond had more than gotten his revenge the next day during a friendly sparring match before they had parted ways. Ace hadn't been able to feel his fingers for a week after Sabo had managed to get a vice grip on them. He hadn't been able to use his Devil Fruit power particularly well against him either but Sabo had remained stubbornly silent when questioned on how he had accomplished that feat. Ace had no idea what his brother was being taught by the Revolutionaries but it was certainly paying off.

"What's a vivre card?" Luffy asked, puzzled.

Ace grinned and nodded towards his abandoned bag over by the far railing. "Get my backpack and I'll show you."

Luffy sat up and immediately stretched for it, handing it off to Ace as his arm snapped back.

"That's one thing I miss about not having you around. I have to get up for stuff now," he joked as he began rummaging. Luffy heard various knickknacks shaking around inside. "Aha!" Ace cried triumphantly. He pulled his hand out and uncurled his palm to show two pieces of square paper, one slightly larger than the other.

Luffy cocked his head. "Those are vivre cards?" he asked, rather bemused.

Ace nodded and offered one to Luffy for him to examine. He snorted as Luffy sniffed at it curiously. "A vivre card is completely waterproof and fireproof," he said with a grin, setting his forefinger alight and poking the paper in Luffy's hand to prove his point.

"That's so cool!" Luffy exclaimed, before holding the paper up to the sun and squinting at it but it was completely blank. "There's no writing. How's it meant to work?"

"You can get them in the New World, they're made from a person's fingernail, which is then turned into paper," Ace continued, chuckling as Luffy quick sucked his tongue back into his mouth, having been very close to actually tasting the paper. Luffy held the card gingerly between his thumb and forefinger, staring at is as though he expected it to revert to being a nail again. "You can tear it and give one of the pieces to someone you're separated from. The piece will point towards either the largest piece of paper or the person the card was made from," Ace finished, gently poking Luffy's forehead to soothe out the confused frown.

He held up the piece of paper in his hand as an example. "This one is Sabo's. He said it would point to the biggest piece of paper. That one," Ace gestured to the one Luffy was holding, "is mine. That's the only one I have so it'll point you directly to me."

"Oh," Luffy nodded before leaning forward and staring at the card in Ace's hand. He cocked his head thoughtfully. "Why is the corner of Sabo's burning? I thought you said it was fireproof?"

Ace sighed. He had half hoped that Luffy wouldn't notice that little detail but either his brother's observation skills had improved or he just had a knack for asking the awkward to answer questions. Ace was leaning towards the latter.

"A card reflects the life of the one it was created from. It'll begin to burn on its own when that person's life begins to vanish," he said quietly, watching Luffy carefully.

Luffy stared at him blankly for several second before his eyes widened in alarm and his gaze darted back to Sabo's vivre card. "That means – that means because the card is burning that Sabo's life is vanishing?"

Ace nodded, tugging at Luffy's arm until his brother was leaning comfortably against his side. "It burns quite a bit," he said regretfully, softly tracing the edge of Sabo's card. "I think it's when he goes undercover on a job. He's putting himself into pretty dangerous situations opposing the World Government so the card obviously reflects that. But it's never been burnt more than halfway down and it always restores itself eventually," Ace added encouragingly, running a hand through Luffy's dark hair, an action that never failed to comfort the teen.

Luffy still looked a little dubious but he relaxed ever so slightly.

"Is he in danger a lot?" asked Luffy, still eyeing the singed card.

"This is the first time in about seven months, I think, that I've seen it burning," Ace said. "But Sabo will be fine. No doubt you'll see him soon," he said, full of confidence. Sabo was well aware of the fact that Luffy had planned on setting sail when he turned seventeen and that had been a few months ago. If Ace knew Sabo, the blond would be keeping an eye out for Luffy's whereabouts and would take the opportunity to meet up if it arose.

"How long has it been burning for? And what happens when you run out of paper?" Luffy asked, gently reaching out to touch the card in Ace's hand.

"It started burning about a week ago. The longest it's burnt was for nearly three weeks late last year, but I heard there were big goings on down in South Blue so Sabo was probably there," Ace said, making to tuck Sabo's card away back in his bag.

Luffy grabbed his wrist. "You didn't answer my question, Ace. What happens when you run out of paper?" he demanded quietly.

"The person's life is over. They're dead," Ace said softly.

Luffy swallowed hard and clutched tightly at the vivre card in his hand. Ace stared at his brother's clenched fist and suddenly hoped the cards were 'little brother proof' as well because if there was a way to destroy them, no doubt Luffy would be the one to find it.

"Hey guys, do you- oh. Sorry, did I interrupt?"

Both brothers looked up to see Nami hovering uncertainly over them.

"No, it's fine. I was just showing Luffy something," Ace reassured her with a smile. Luffy appeared to shake himself slightly before his usual grin appeared.

"Sabo will be fine," he said confidently to Ace, before turning to his navigator. "Hey, Nami, where's a safe place to keep this? It's Ace's so it's very important," he alleged, waving the card around in her face.

Nami slapped the offending hand away before her eyes fell on Luffy's straw hat. "Let me sew it into your hat's ribbon. That way, you'll always have it with you," she offered.

Luffy grinned and handed over both items.

"Did you need us for something?" Ace asked, rising gracefully to his feet and stretching like an overgrown cat. Luffy whined and held up a hand to his brother, smiling cheerfully when Ace pulled him to his feet with a roll of his eyes.

"Sanji wanted to know if you guys had any preferences for dinner?" she queried.

"Meat!" Luffy yelled, throwing his arms out wide.

"You probably didn't even need to bother asking," said Ace, watching his brother throw himself up onto the upper deck and into the galley, screaming for food. There was a heavy thud which Ace could only assume was the cook kicking Luffy out of his way.

"Probably not," Nami sighed wearily, turning to go after her captain. Ace grinned and made to follow.

Luffy really did have the most interesting of nakama.

**XXX**

_**To be continued…**_

I figured if Luffy had problems with Usopp, Ace could have a few problematic crewmates too! For eagle eyed readers, yes, Ace does still have the ASCE tattoo but that's just my personal preference as I can't picture him without it! I also have a head canon that Sabo refuses to sit properly in chairs ;)

Anyway, please remember to review! I enjoy hearing from readers ;) It's a huge motivation!


	3. Water 7

**Author Note**: I love this arc, I think it's possibly one of my favourites!

Again, thank you to everyone who reviewed the previous chapters.

Shout out to my beta, AuthenticAussie!

**XXX**

**Chapter 3 - Water 7 **

**XXX**

There were not many things that could put Sabo in a bad mood. He was naturally quite bright and cheery. Certainly not to the extent that Luffy took 'bright and cheery', but he could still be described as a generally content person.

But if there was one thing that made him angry and set his blood boiling, it was when people – more specifically the World Government – targeted those he cared about.

The blond had been furious when Bunny Joe had contacted him to report that three high ranked Revolutionary officers had been assassinated, and worse still that civilians had been caught in the cross fire, resulting in a total of twenty three deaths on a simple reconnaissance mission.

Sabo had immediately reported in with Dragon and requested permission to hunt the assassins down. Needless to say, Dragon wasn't particularly happy at the thought of Sabo going on a revenge vendetta despite his own fury, but when Koala's intel revealed that the assassins were part of CP9, Dragon had granted permission.

Dragon had informed Sabo, in complete confidence, that CP9 were suspected of being on the hunt for the blueprints of the ancient weapon, Pluton.

Sabo's blood had run cold when he had learnt the details. He never wanted to see that weapon created and swore to do whatever necessary to destroy the blueprints. He had been mildly shocked that Dragon believed Nico Robin, the only survivor of the Ohara genocide, was also capable of restoring the weapon from the depths of history and finally understood why his leader had tried for so long to locate the young woman. They really couldn't afford to let her fall into the wrong hands.

Sabo's job therefore was twofold; destroy the blueprints and recover Nico Robin, who had been sighted in the area.

He certainly hadn't expected to see his little brother wandering the backstreets of Water 7 in the middle of the night.

Sabo stood poised on a rooftop and watched as Luffy and his small crew trudged into a hotel across the street. They looked like they were carrying everything they owned on their backs, including a couple of orange trees, much to Sabo's bemusement.

To say he was confused by the sight was an understatement. He was relieved to see his brother looked in one piece at least, if he discarded the obvious cuts and scrapes of a recent fight, but that relief was tempered by concern over Luffy's absent smile. It was like someone had turned off his inner light. He was hunched in on himself and looked miserable, a word not very often associated with the rubber teen.

Sabo waited patiently for another glimpse of his brother. If he knew Luffy, the boy wouldn't be content shut away in a hotel room. He preferred open spaces where he could see the sky. It had been Luffy after all who had requested that their old secret base have numerous open windows all around. It had been a tricky design to accomplish but to see Luffy's delighted face when he could fall asleep watching the twinkling stars had made all the hard work worth it.

The blond's patience was rewarded a short while later when the rooftop door slammed open with a resounding bang and Luffy emerged, straw hat hanging lifelessly around his neck. He walked straight to the edge of the building and leapt up onto the side, letting his legs dangle down towards the canal below.

"Luffy," a small voice called, as two more people emerged from the stairwell.

"Chopper." The green haired man - who Sabo immediately identified as Pirate Hunter Zoro thanks to his wanted poster and vibrant green hair - gently tugged a small creature back from running up to Luffy. "Luffy's fine, you've patched him up. Let's just sit, okay?" he suggested in a surprisingly compassionate tone.

The furry little creature looked like it was about to burst into tears any second but nodded and sat next to his companion, mindful of the swords laid out next to them.

Clearly something had happened and it couldn't just be a small thing. Luffy could bounce back from almost anything and for him to look so despondent it was obviously a serious matter. Sabo frowned as he observed his brother's isolation from his crew. Luffy hated being alone, he thrived when he was with people so for him to remove himself from the company of his nakama as much as he was physically able meant that he was very obviously hurting.

The blond was torn. He couldn't very well just leave Luffy looking like that – it nearly broke his heart just watching at him. Luffy was one of the single brightest things in his somewhat shady life and he refused to let him hurt if he could help it.

But Sabo also had a job to do. He knew that when he signed up to the Revolutionaries he would sometimes be required to make a choice between what was needed and what was wanted. This was very much one of those times and Koala would have his hide if he abandoned her to all the reconnaissance. Again.

"Luffy, do you maybe want some dinner? Sanji's waiting at the ship for Robin but I'm sure the hotel has something," Chopper called, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen over the three crew mates. Zoro cracked open one eye to stare at his captain's back.

There was no response from the rubber boy.

_Enough was enough_, Sabo thought, sighing heavily and making to jump the distance between the two buildings. He sent a silent apology to Koala as he landed soundlessly in the shadow of the stairwell. None of the roof's occupants even noticed.

"Well, this is unexpected," said Sabo, walking forward slowly, hands calmly down by his side and showing no resistance when the swordsman leapt to his feet, weapon in hand. There was a small cry of alarm as the little creature, which Sabo was pretty sure was a reindeer despite the blue nose and obviously human intelligence, hid very badly behind his nakama's legs.

Luffy turned slowly, all his movements lacking the energy and vigor he usually he had in spades. There was a small, confused frown on his face as he tried to spot the speaker in the shadows.

Sabo smiled fondly and stepped forward out of the inky darkness. "I never thought I'd run into you here, Straw Hat Luffy," he said softly, catching his brother's eye.

Luffy's breath caught in his chest, eyes widening ever so slightly in surprise.

"Who the hell are you?" Zoro growled but Sabo ignored him, all his attention focused on his little brother.

Luffy swung around from the edge and slowly started walking towards him, head down.

"Luffy?" Chopper called, clearly nervous as Zoro's gaze flickered between the two of them, poised to strike as soon as he saw any threatening move towards his captain. If Sabo hadn't been so concerned for his brother, he would've taken a moment to admire the swordsman's dedication.

Luffy came to an unsteady halt directly in front of Sabo, face shrouded by the rim of his straw hat. The blond reached out and gently raised Luffy's chin, his own head tilting to one side, scar becoming visible in the dim light. Zoro paused, calmly sheathed his sword and stepped back.

"What's got my little brother looking so despondent, hm?" Sabo asked quietly. Luffy drew in a shuddering breath and closed the final gap between them, wrapping his arms tightly around Sabo's waist, head burrowing into his shoulder. Sabo returned the embrace immediately, clutching securely at Luffy's quaking shoulders.

"Little brother?" Sabo heard Chopper mutter.

"You must be Sabo," said Zoro, carefully trying to remove Chopper's vice grip from his leg.

The young Revolutionary cast the swordsman a quick nod of confirmation before turning his attention back to Luffy, who was trembling in his arms.

"You okay, Lu?" he asked quietly. There was a minute shake of the head against his shoulder.

Zoro, clearly more tactful than he looked, guided Chopper towards the stairwell. "Come on, let's leave Luffy with his brother. Luffy, we'll be in our room if you need us," he added as the door swung shut behind them, leaving the two brothers in silence.

Sabo exhaled softly and gave Luffy a quick squeeze before gently pulling back enough to look him in the face. His eyes narrowed, scrutinising every detail about his brother's face. He could see straight away that Luffy had been crying, his eyes were red rimmed and he looked very pale.

"Luffy?" Sabo tried again. "This isn't like you at all. What's wrong?"

Luffy's gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm tired," he finally whispered. Sabo hummed in acknowledgment. He gently untangled Luffy's grip and pulled him towards the edge of the building. He sat down and tugged an unresisting Luffy down next to him to lean against the wall.

Luffy immediately slumped against Sabo, eyes falling shut when the blond wrapped an arm around his shoulders and ran a comforting hand through wayward black hair.

"You want to tell me what's been going on?" asked Sabo. There was a short silence before Luffy began talking quietly.

**xxx**

Sabo sighed thoughtfully as Luffy's unbelievable tale finally drew to a close. He had heard of the island in the sky but it was just like Luffy to do the near impossible and actually find a way there. He absently returned to running a hand through Luffy's hair where his brother's head rested on his thigh, the teen having slid down during his storytelling.

"Being captain is hard," Luffy mumbled with a small pout and shielding his eyes against the rising sun.

Sabo smiled. "Yeah, it is," he agreed. "Ace found out the same thing when he first set out but for what it's worth, you're doing great."

Luffy frowned. "How can I be doing great if one of my nakama decides to leave and demands to duel over the ship?" he asked, hurt bleeding into his voice.

"It's all well and good being friends with your crew mates Luffy, but first and foremost they have to respect your authority as captain. Otherwise, there's no point to them being on the ship. You'll just be putting everyone else's lives at risk," Sabo said firmly.

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Luffy commented, head tilting up to stare at his brother.

"Well, not all the Revolutionary's allies are happy about answering to someone half their age. Even if I can beat them into next year," said Sabo with a small grin.

Luffy snorted, but there was still no sign of his usual smile.

The rooftop door slammed open, startling the pair. Luffy dragged himself up to sit against the wall as Zoro, Chopper and a blond inhaling heavily on a cigarette approached them.

"Guys, this is my big brother, Sabo. Sabo, this is Zoro, Chopper and Sanji," Luffy said, finally remember introductions were required. Sabo nodded at them all with a small smile.

Sanji exhaled a plume of smoke. "I stayed at the bay all night. Robin-chan didn't return to the ship," he told Luffy, who frowned.

"Robin?" Sabo asked, dread beginning to fill him. "Do you mean Nico Robin?"

Luffy nodded. "Yeah. She's our arch-ologist," he said, somewhat proudly, though he did stumble over the word.

"Archeologist," Sabo corrected absently, processing that little bit of information.

How typical that the one woman who had eluded the network of not _only_ the World Government but also the Revolutionary Army would wind up on his brother's crew, Sabo thought with a small shake of his head.

He did feel slightly better about the situation though. Luffy had amazing instincts when it came to judging people and if Nico Robin had joined his crew, there was certainly more to her than the rumors suggested.

"Do you know Robin?" Luffy asked, finally appearing to look a little less weary.

Sabo shook his head. "Not personally, but Dragon-san has been looking for her since he heard about the incident at Ohara," he told them, only to receive blank stares all around. Sabo frowned. "How much do you actually know about Nico Robin?"

The Straw Hats all shared puzzled looks.

"She worked for Crocodile," said Zoro dryly.

"She loves book, like me!" Chopper exclaimed with a grin.

"And coffee," Sanji added with a little shrug.

"So, nothing then," Sabo concluded with a sigh, raising a hand to rub at his temple. He could feel a headache coming on.

"It doesn't matter what we know," Luffy said firmly, crossing his arms defiantly. "Robin's our nakama." The other three were quick to voice their agreement.

"How much do you and the other Revolutionaries know about Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, reaching into his pocket for another cigarette. Sabo had to wonder how many he could get through in a day.

"Enough," said Sabo. "But if she's decided not to tell you all I'm not saying anything. It's not my story to share. When was the last time anyone saw her?"

"I was with her yesterday but then she disappeared with someone in a mask," Chopper said, hesitantly rubbing his hooves together.

"I saw her with the same guy but when I tried following them I came to a dead end. It's like they disappeared into thin air," said Sanji with a put out frown. "He better not have done anything to hurt Robin-chan," he grumbled unhappily.

Sabo frowned. This was far too much to be coincidence. With CP9 agents known to be in the area hunting the blueprints for an ancient weapon and Nico Robin, the very woman who had escaped the organisation's clutches on Ohara, disappearing in the same town, to say that Sabo was worried would be putting it lightly.

"Sabo?" Luffy called, pulling him from his thoughts. "Something wrong?"

"I hope not," he said. "But maybe you should try finding Robin sooner rather than later, yeah?" he suggested.

"Do you think someone's after Robin-chan? Why?" Sanji asked, completely baffled.

"Because some people consider her a very dangerous woman," Sabo said flatly. "She knows a lot more than she lets on. If she gets caught by the wrong people, it won't bode well for anyone. Just do me a favour, Luffy," Sabo pleaded, turning to his brother. "Don't take anything you hear at face value, I think there's something going on in this town."

Luffy hummed. "Is that the reason you're here in Water 7?" he asked.

"I can't tell you the reason I'm here. I'm not giving the World Government a reason to go after you, too" Sabo said adamantly.

"World Government?" Sanji asked, looking more than a little alarmed. Sabo nodded, pleased that the severity of the situation registered with at least one person. "What have they got to do with anything?"

"When _don't_ they have anything to do with everything," Sabo muttered darkly.

Luffy suddenly shrugged. "We'll just do what Sabo said and find Robin. She can't have gone far. Maybe she got distracted or met an old friend," he suggested, and Sabo was pleased to see him putting his straw hat on. "We can-"

"What's all that noise?" Zoro suddenly cut in and peering over the edge of the building, instantly on guard.

Everyone else paused as the noise of a large commotion down in the street and canal finally reached them.

_Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru._

Everyone jumped as Sabo's baby den den mushi screamed loudly from deep within his pocket. Sabo reached in and pulled it out, connecting the call quickly, suddenly very aware that he had forgotten all about checking in with Koala a couple of hours ago. She was going to kill him.

"Hello?"

"_Sabo! Where the hell have you been?"_ the young woman screeched loudly down the snail at him. Sabo winced.

"Sorry, Koala, I ran into Luffy. What's wrong?"

"_We have a big problem!" _

Sabo frowned but before he could question her further, the rooftop door slammed open again, revealing a highly panicked redhead.

"Luffy! We have a problem!"

"_The Mayor's been shot!"_

"Iceburg's been shot!"

**xxx**

"This is a dozen levels of stupid! One just doesn't walk up to Enies Lobby and demand they free a couple of prisoners!"

Sabo hummed distractedly, quickly rummaging around underneath his cabin bed in search of his pipe. He could've sworn he left it on the bed but with the annual Aqua Laguna currently bearing down on the city, the ship was rocking violently every which way despite being docked in a sheltered port and he couldn't seem to locate it.

"Are you even listening to me? _Sabo!_"

"Gottcha," Sabo mumbled, fingertips brushing cold lead. He pushed himself to his feet and dusted himself off. He quickly turned to leave, not wanting Luffy to go ahead without him - which he would if he was made to wait much longer - and met the extremely angry face of his best friend.

Sabo stumbled back a couple of paces in alarm.

"Did you hear a word I just said?" the brunette demanded, hands on her hips.

"Um, yes, raiding Enies Lobby is a bad idea. And I agree, it's a terrible idea but I'm not letting Luffy run off by himself," Sabo told Koala firmly, stepping around her and storming down the corridor.

"Are you trying to jeopardise everything?" Koala raged, having to take two steps for every one of Sabo's. "Enies Lobby is going to be swarming with not only thousands of marines and government officials but every one of the CP9 agents are going to be there! You can't just dive headfirst into that mess! Someone's gonna get themselves killed!" Koala growled as Sabo continued to ignore her. "Why are you doing this? I know Dragon-san asked you to recover the blueprints if you could but this sort of goes beyond the call of duty," she grumbled.

Sabo stopped so suddenly that Koala ran into his back.

"I'm not going for the blueprints," Sabo said quietly, turning to look her dead in the eye. "And I'm not going to get revenge on CP9 for killing our officers either before you mention it. I'm going because Luffy's going. There is no way in hell I'm letting my little brother walk into that alone."

Especially not after seeing the state the CP9 agents had left the Straw Hats in after their encounter at Galley-La's headquarters. Sabo was under no illusions that the pirates hadn't give it their best – Luffy certainly hadn't – and they would no doubt come back stronger than ever when they came across the monsters a second time, but that still didn't mean Sabo was in any way, shape or form going to let Luffy go without him. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if anything happened to his little brother and he had been in a position to prevent it. Hell, _Ace_ wouldn't let him live if he let anything happen to Luffy.

"I'm going to Enies Lobby, Koala, don't try and stop me," Sabo told her determinedly.

Koala's jaw clenched angrily as she stared him down. It felt like hours but could only have been a minute before her shoulders slumped in defeat. "You're crazy, the pair of you," she muttered shaking her head.

Sabo grinned. "I know," he said cheerfully turning to leave. "But just think of all the confidential government information that's going to be stored in that place. I think Dragon-san will forgive me for causing a ruckus if I bring him back something good."

Sabo smirked as he walked away and silently counted down from five in his head.

"Hold it!"

Sabo paused and turned to the brunette innocently. "What?"

"What kind of information?" Koala asked, casually sidling up to him.

Sabo had to hold back the laughter that was threatening to bubble up. Mention anything confidential and Koala was all over it. She loved finding secrets and Sabo was damn glad that circumstances meant she decided to join the Revolutionaries and hadn't been swayed to assist the World Government. She would make a formidable enemy. Sabo much preferred having her on his side.

"Well, it leads directly to Impel Down or Marine Headquarters. I'm going to guess the government officials are cocky enough to think they can store anything there and it'd be completely safe," Sabo thought aloud, swinging his pipe up to hook it onto his coat.

Koala's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You said mentioned that on purpose, didn't you?"

"Never!" Sabo denied, but he couldn't stop a smug grin breaking out.

"When Dragon-san finds out about this, I'm going to tell him you blackmailed me," said Koala, chin high as she stalked past him.

Sabo laughed. "So I take it that means you're coming too?"

"Obviously. Someone has to watch your back," Koala said haughtily. Sabo quickly caught up and swung an arm around her shoulders, causing her to pitch forwards.

"Thanks," Sabo told her, suddenly finding the whole idea of storming a judicial island slightly less daunting with his best friend at his side.

It was a shame Ace couldn't join them; he would've enjoyed the carnage.

**xxx **

"Seriously, how many stairs does this place have?" Sabo moaned as he turned a corner, Koala hot on his heels.

"Too many!" she replied in a huff as they threw themselves up another flight in the Tower of Justice continually heading up. From past experience, the pair had quickly learnt that confidential information would generally be kept well out of the way of normal building traffic. All evidence pointed towards the upper rooms housing the CP9 agents and Spandam's private offices as being the most likely places any useful information to the Revolutionaries would be locked away. And in this situation, that meant traversing an awful lot of stairs.

Sabo spared a quick glance back at his friend. She was still in one piece after their rather violent arrival but she was covered in fresh scrapes and bruises.

"You okay?" he asked as they dashed around another corner.

"No, I am not okay! The Sea Train I was riding on flew through the air and crashed! May I also add that it did this not just once, but _twice_! And now I'm in the very heart of Enies Lobby with a madman threatening to use a Buster Call! How could I possibly be _okay_?" she fumed, glaring at him.

Sabo simply laughed and adjusted his top hat. "Fun isn't it?"

Before Koala could respond a roar echoed down at them from above.

"ROBIN!"

Sabo and Koala both glanced at the ceiling.

Koala frowned. "Your brother sure is loud, they'll hear him coming a mile off!" she exclaimed.

Sabo snorted. "Luffy doesn't do anything quietly."

"STOP!"

Sabo and Koala skidded to an abrupt halt as several guards blocked their path.

"There's always stragglers," Sabo groaned, whipping his lead pipe off his back and launching himself at the first guard brave enough to charge him. He easily ducked and dodged through the small crowd, knocking everyone aside.

Koala delivered a punishing punch to the face of the one of guards who slipped through, the force powerful enough to send him crashing into the wall. Koala blinked as the wall, rather than crumbling as expected suddenly swung open, revealing a hidden room. She grinned.

"I think we hit the jackpot, Sabo," she said, stepping over the unconscious guard and heading straight to the filing cabinets lining the walls.

Sabo knocked the final guard back and joined her, quickly assessing the room which was clearly being used as an office. He snorted. "A secret room, why does that not surprise me?"

"These are all hit lists," Koala observed, quickly flicking through a folder.

"These are too," Sabo said, throwing another couple of files onto the desk. "What about those?" He nodded towards the next cabinet.

"Um, records of people who've been transferred to Impel Down by the looks of it," she said, leafing through a few quickly.

"Hey, this looks like a one for Dressrosa. Isn't that the country Dragon-san's been wanting to look into?" Sabo asked. There was silence behind him. He turned with a frown.

Koala was sat on her knees, staring at the file resting in her lap, face white in the dim light of the office.

"Koala?" Sabo called, concerned.

Koala looked up at him, tear pooling in her eyes. "It's the records for Iva-chan and the others transferred to Impel Down," she whispered.

Sabo sighed and crouched down in front of her. He gently closed the file and tugged it from her unresisting grip. He patted her shoulder reassuringly. "We'll get them out. Dragon-san won't leave them there," he assured her confidently. He had unwavering faith in his leader that he would rescue their captured comrades when the opportunity arose. It would be a fine way to show the World Government that their impenetrable prison wasn't so impenetrable after all.

Koala nodded briskly. Sabo pulled her to her feet and handed her the several files labeled '_Dressrosa'_.

"You take these and-"

"You shouldn't be in here. That's not part of the game, pirates. Chapapa!"

Sabo and Koala swung around, immediately on alert.

Standing in the doorway was the large round man with a zipper across his mouth. He was grinning manically at them.

"That's just creepy," Koala said, staring at the unzipped mouth in disgust. "You're Fukuro, right?"

The man laughed, the high pitched voice not at all matching the appearance. "Oh, you seem to have some knowledge. But why are you not trying to find the keys, little pirates? Chapapa."

Sabo grasped his pipe and stepped forward. "We're not pirates. We're Revolutionaries," he said with a small grin.

Fukuro's eyes widened minutely. "Revolutionaries? Like those we killed the other week?" He tilted his head in consideration. "They weren't very strong. I wonder if you'll do any better, chapapa."

Sabo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You have an exceptionally big mouth," he said, stalking forward. "Koala, make sure to take all the files you can carry for Dressrosa and then go meet up with the others," he called over his shoulder.

"Okay, don't take too long," Koala warned him, quickly adjusting her grip on the precious files.

"You're not leaving this room. I'm not letting you through," Fukuro grinned, completely ignoring the blond Revolutionary slowly approaching him as he took up a defensive position in front of the door.

Koala smirked as she walked to the far wall. She pulled back her arm, fist raised and punched forward hard. The wall shattered as the shockwave impacted, a thick cloud of dust and brick rising into the air. She sent a cheeky wink over her shoulder as she darted through the newly made opening. "Not a problem! Sabo, remember he has a key on him!"

"Got it," Sabo called after her as she disappeared. He turned his attention to the fuming CP9 agent in front of him. "And there's something you should get as well, Mr Big Mouth." Fukuro glared darkly. "You're the one who's not leaving this room."

The two stared at each other before both launched themselves forward in a blur of movement. There was a metallic clang as Sabo's lead pipe met Fukuro's arm.

Sabo smirked. "Looks like this could be fun!"

**xxx**

_Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru._

Sabo groaned as persistent ringing sounded from down by his feet. He forced his tired eyes open to see it was pitch black in Galley-La's guest house. He was sharing a cramped single bed with his brother, who was sprawled across his chest and currently using him a pillow. It had been the only way to get Luffy to rest. The young captain had bravely resisted sleep whilst everyone was patched up by Chopper and sent off for some much needed rest. He had watched them all like a hawk, eyes flickering from one to the next as though expecting them to vanish at any moment.

Chopper had been seriously concerned and suggested administering a sedative if it meant his captain got the sleep he needed.

Sabo had opted for the simpler choice and joined the dark haired teen on the bed, gently forcing him to lie down, whispering calmly and quietly so as not to wake the rest of the sleeping crew that they were all together, they were safe and no one was going to take them away. Lulled by the blond's soothing voice and gentle administrations, Luffy had finally succumbed to his exhaustion.

Sabo had joined him in repose a short while later after Chopper had taken to his own bed and he was most put out that he had been forced awake much earlier than he had anticipated.

_Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru._

The blond muttered a quiet curse and reached down to grab his coat which he had thrown off. He struggled with one hand to tug out his den den mushi before it could wake anyone else.

"Hello?" he rasped, throat dry.

"_Hey." _Sabo felt a small smile spreading across his face despite his earlier disgruntlement as Ace's voice washed over him. _"You sound tired, this a bad time?"_ his brother asked, concerned.

"No," Sabo yawned causing Ace to snicker quietly. "You okay? I think this is the first time you've called me."

"_Yeah, just on a tough job. I wanted to hear a friendly voice. I honestly didn't think you'd be in range though,"_ Ace admitted quietly.

"Ace," Luffy mumbled sleepily, unconsciously responding to the familiar voice near his ear. Sabo chuckled fondly.

"_Is that Luffy?"_ Ace asked, surprised.

"Yeah, he's completely out of it though. We ran into each other here on Water 7. It was lucky timing too, we had some business with the same people," Sabo explained, closing his eyes, half asleep again as Ace's familiar tones and Luffy's heat lulled him into a comfortable trance.

"_Have you been making trouble?"_ Ace teased softly.

"Of course. No doubt you'll read all about it in the papers over the next few days but don't freak out, we're both fine," the blond was quick to reassure his brother as Luffy muttered at them both to share the meat. "How about you?" Sabo asked with another yawn.

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. Sabo opened his eyes and stared at the snail in his hand, wondering if they had lost the connection.

"Ace?"

"_Tell me not to be reckless,"_ Ace suddenly pleaded breathlessly.

"Don't be reckless," Sabo parroted back without pause. There was silence. "Are you actually going to listen to me, or do I need to find and beat some sense into you?"

"_No, I'm fine,"_ Ace chuckled but Sabo could tell immediately it lacked any humour. _"I just have a lead and I'm not looking forward to dealing with it if it pays off."_

"Not a nice job then?" Sabo asked, a sense of foreboding settling heavily over him. He ran a hand up and down Luffy's back in an attempt to calm both himself and the teen who was shifting uncomfortably, obviously picking up on the tension running through his brother.

"_You could say that. Luffy knows most of the details, he can fill you in. I need to go otherwise they might move on before I get to Banaro,"_ Ace sighed heavily.

Sabo frowned. "Okay, be careful," he pleaded softly.

"_Say hi to Luffy for me,"_ Ace ordered as he cut the connection.

Sabo stared at the snail in hand, unsure of what to make of his brother's actions. Ace had sounded upset but not irrational, so Sabo hoped he kept his head and didn't rush into anything he couldn't handle. He was very aware that both his brothers were still rather naïve when it came to just how strong some people were on the Grand Line, and it was even worse in the New World.

Luffy shifted again, drawing Sabo out of his musings. He quickly discarded the den den mushi and let Luffy's solid presence against his side lull him back to sleep. Ace could take care of himself, and if he couldn't...well, that's what his brothers were there for.

**xxx**

"Monkey D. Dragon."

There was a resounding silence at Garp's sudden revelation.

"Hold on, Monkey D. Dragon as in my _leader,_ Dragon? _That_ Dragon?" Sabo spluttered, as he stared at Garp's back. "Well, that explains a few things," he muttered thoughtfully, leaning back in his chair as Luffy turned to him, a puzzled frown on his face.

"My father is your leader? You've been with my dad all this time?" Luffy burst into amused laughter.

"Dragon-san is the one who saved me after the Celestial Dragon attack," said Sabo quietly, beginning to understand why Dragon had been on Dawn Island in the first place. He must have been in the area because Luffy was there. Why else would the world's most wanted man go on such a small scale job like observing the movements of a Celestial Dragon?

"Wait, Dragon is your leader?" Garp swung around, the hammer in his hands flying free in his surprise, causing several marines to duck and cry in alarm. He stared at Sabo in disbelief. "You're a Revolutionary?!"

"I'm Chief of Staff, actually," said Sabo with a slightly smug grin. He knew it was rather risky to reveal his position as well as his face to the half dozen marines currently fixing the guest house and Koala would no doubt have his head if she found out, but it was worth it to see the looks on everyone's faces.

Garp's eye widened. "That's worse than being a damn pirate!" he cried, as the marines all took a step back from Sabo in fear. Luffy and the Straw Hats watched them, all rather baffled by the reaction.

"I take it you don't approve of my career choice then?" Sabo asked innocently, propping his chin on interlocked fingers and leaning forwards.

"NO!" Garp shouted.

Luffy simply laughed and moved to pat his brother consolingly on his shoulder. "Don't worry Sabo, he doesn't like our careers either! Shishishi!"

"Your career, Luffy, will not get you tortured for information," Garp sighed heavily, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his temples as though trying to ward away a headache. Sabo suddenly felt a small wave of sympathy towards the old man. He really did only want what was best for his grandsons; but what he wanted for them was not what they wanted from life and there would be no telling them otherwise.

"Tortured? Why would anyone torture Sabo?" Luffy asked, baffled and looking at the blond for an explanation.

"Chief of Staff means I'm essentially the recognised number two of the Revolutionary Army," Sabo told him. Luffy's jaw dropped. "If I was caught, I would no doubt be subjected to dozens of various torture methods to find out what I know about the World Government," he said with a small scowl. "Not that I'd ever let anyone know of any of our plans, nor would I be foolish enough to get caught in the first place," he assured them all casually.

"Hold up, let me see if I have this straight," Sanji stepped forward, a frown on his face as he approached his captain. "Your grandfather is a marine hero. Your father is leader of the Revolutionary Army. Your brother Ace is Whitebeard's Second Division Commander and your other brother is Chief of Staff of the aforementioned Revolutionary Army. Did I get that right?"

Luffy hummed thoughtfully before a wide grin broke across his face. "Yeah!"

"It's a family of monsters!" Nami screeched, collapsing into a chair next to Robin, who still looked remarkably calm despite all the revelations that were flying around.

"Hey, Sabo, does Ace know you're Chief of Staff?" Luffy suddenly asked, prodding the blond excitedly.

"I don't think so," Sabo said. His promotion was still relatively new; he doubted word had gotten around yet that Dragon had finally chosen a successor.

Luffy grinned mischievously. "Can I be there when you tell him?"

Sabo snorted and nodded. "Sure, why not." He turned to Garp who had risen to his feet. "Hey Old Man, any chance you-"

"Grandpa!" Garp shouted, causing everyone but Luffy and Sabo to jump a foot into the air. "Since you're Ace and Luffy's brother and you spent the last however many years gallivanting around with my son, you can damn well call me Grandpa!"

"Okay then, _Grandpa_," said Sabo, with a roll of his eyes, "any chance you could keep this little meeting quiet?"

Garp shrugged, flashing them a toothy smirk. "I don't see why not. It's already going into the report that Luffy left."

Luffy and Sabo shared a grin. He may be a marine but the old man knew how to break the rules just as well as any pirate.

"Um, is that a good idea, Sir?" Luffy's pink haired marine friend stepped forward nervously. Garp turned to him questioningly. "We have a high ranked Revolutionary within our grasp and we're just going to let him walk away?"

"Be my guest, try and catch him. It might be a good lesson for you all," said Garp, stepping aside and leaving a clear path to Sabo who calmly remained seated. Not one marine stepped forward. "I thought so," Garp muttered with a shake of his head. "Now hurry up and fix this hole."

Sabo watched as movement descended upon the room. The marines hurried to carry out their orders and the Straw Hats all jumped to stay out of their way, naturally untrusting despite Garp's presence.

Sabo stood and tapped Luffy on the shoulder. "I need a quick word with you," he said, casually walking towards the hole in the wall, trusting his brother to follow him. He watched with amusement as the marines scampered to get out of his way, the only one brave enough to meet his gaze head on being the pink haired officer. Sabo decided he would keep an eye on that one's career.

The blond dipped his head in acknowledgement as he passed Garp. The old man simply chortled and waved him off.

Sabo walked around the corner, out of view of the marines standing on the lawn. He thought he heard an undignified squeak and a blur as something disappeared into the bushes but he ignored it. It was probably only Usopp anyway. He had half a mind to speak to him about concealing his presence better if he was going to eavesdrop.

"I need to head off now Luffy," Sabo said as they paused a short distance from the guest house.

"Already?" Luffy whined, face dropping. Sabo grinned and nodded.

"Yeah, I don't trust the Old - I mean, Grandpa, to keep his mouth shut. He'll probably say something and be ordered to turn right around and catch us," said Sabo with a shrug.

Luffy laughed. "That does sound like Gramps," he agreed.

"Do you have a vivre card for Ace?" Sabo asked, the conversation with his brother a couple of nights ago still playing heavily on his mind.

"Yeah, Nami sewed it into my hat," Luffy told him, removing his hat from his head and showing Sabo.

"Mind if I take a piece?" Sabo said.

"Sure, what do you need it for?" Luffy asked, handing over his treasured possession to allow his brother to carefully tear a piece of the paper away from the ribbon.

"You probably don't remember it, but he called me the other night," Sabo informed him. Luffy's eyebrows shot up. "He sounded weird, I just want to be able to find him."

"You think he's in trouble?" Luffy asked, brow knitted with concern. Sabo raised his half of the vivre card, relieved to see it wasn't burning.

"Not yet anyway," Sabo said, carefully tucking the paper into his pocket.

**xxx**

Sabo shook his head as he stood atop a small wall, watching over the crowd of onlookers who were screaming at the Straw Hats to run away as Garp's ship bore down on them. Sabo's keen eyes watched as Luffy's arm extended towards the beach and his remaining nakama kneeling on the shore line. He hadn't heard over the roar of the crowd but obviously the young sniper had groveled to his former crew.

"Hey, Sabo!"

The blond turned and a familiar crimson newsboy cap appeared directly below him. Sabo reached down a hand and pulled his friend up to balance on the wall beside him. He flinched slightly as the added weight tugged at his shoulder.

"You okay?" Koala asked, instantly noticing his grimace.

Sabo nodded. "Yeah, just stiff," he explained.

Koala eyed him with disbelief. "You took out a marine warship by yourself whilst we were escaping Enies Lobby and you think you're _just stiff_? Did you even let anyone have a look at it?"

Sabo smiled sheepishly. He hadn't wanted to bother Chopper with such an insignificant injury when there were so many more with much more serious conditions that had required his attention. In fairness, he could have returned to their own ship's doctor but that would have meant telling Luffy he was injured and he really hadn't wanted his little brother to feel guilty for no reason. It was only a strained shoulder anyhow, it wasn't like he didn't have time to rest it.

"Is that Luffy's new ship?" Koala asked as she observed the scene. Sabo nodded. "That was fast."

"It seems the shipwrights on this island don't hang around," Sabo said, shaking his head as Garp threw several dozen cannon balls in quick succession at the new pirate ship.

"Anyway, we really should make a move. We need to get the information from Enies Lobby back to base before the marines decide to focus on us," said Koala, tugging on his arm futilely.

"What's the rush?" Sabo asked, not budging an inch. "Gramps is having too much fun playing with Luffy."

"Well, I happen to have a new toy I want to play with," said Koala with a smirk. Sabo raised an eyebrow, instantly curious.

"A new toy?"

"Mm, one that happens to be very hard to come by," she said, reaching into her pocket and sliding out a small bracelet. She flicked it open to reveal the sleeping black snail. Sabo's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Where did you get that?" he asked, taking it from her for a closer look.

"I snuck it out of Spandam's office," she said proudly. "I'm thinking we should be able to hear some interest tibits from the marines, or maybe even some pirates. I was thinking we could give it a try as soon as possible."

Sabo nodded eagerly. He had always wanted to get his hands on one of the black den den mushi but they were notoriously hard to track down. The marines protected their breeding grounds fiercely.

He cast a quick glance out to sea again and just managed to catch a final glimpse of the fleeing ship before it blasted off into the sky and out of sight.

"Your brother is crazy," Koala whispered, mouth agape as the rest of the crowd around them burst into cheers and whoops. "Can't he do anything normally?"

Sabo laughed cheerfully. "He wouldn't be Luffy if he did things normally!"

Koala turned to him. "Do you think its okay we technically failed to do what Dragon-san asked? I mean, he wanted you to destroy the blueprints and recover Nico Robin. We didn't do either."

Sabo shrugged, not in the least bit concerned. "The blueprints were destroyed according to Franky and he swore that he never made a copy of them. No one will be able to use them and Nico Robin is with Luffy. I think Dragon-san will be happy with that," Sabo said with a soft smile. He nudged Koala gently. "Come on, let's head back before Hack sends out a search party."

The pair jumped off the wall and steadily moved through the crowd, blending in seamlessly as they departed.

**XXX**

_**To be continued…**_

I'm curious to see if any of you can guess where this is going…

Also, this is by far the longest chapter of the entire fic so I hope you enjoyed it! Please remember to review, they're keeping me motivated!

As you can see, I didn't re-write the whole of this arc, I certainly wouldn't have been able to do it justice and all the CP9 fights bar the one seen briefly with Sabo consisted of the same matchups with the Straw Hats. However, if there are any missing scenes you'd like to read from this arc, feel free to let me know and I'll give it a shot.

Fun fact: Koala wasn't meant to be in this fic _at all_ but she muscled her way in! I'm still not quite sure how…


	4. Banaro Island Part 1

**Author Note**: Let the fun begin! We're now diverging heavily from canon! I won't lie, I loved writing this chapter!

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the earlier chapters!

Shout out to AuthenticAussie, my beta!

**XXX**

**Chapter 4 - Banaro Island**** Part I**

**XXX**

"Oh, come on already! Pick something up!"

Sabo and Hack shared an amused look before both innocently returned to the reports they were meant to be reading, desperately hoping their silent laughter went unnoticed by Koala.

The young woman in question was slumped at the table in the Captain's cabin, staring forlornly at the black den den mushi. Her chin was resting on the table top so she was eye level with the little snail that had refused to perform for her since she had whipped it out earlier that morning.

"This is not as exciting as I thought it'd be," she finally admitted with a heavy sigh.

"Well, you do have to be within a certain range of any other den den mushi in order for it to eavesdrop on the conversation," Hack said sympathetically. Koala simply glared at him.

Sabo grinned and patted his friend consolingly on the back. "Be patient," he advised.

Koala sat up and slowly faced him, eyebrows disappearing under her hat. "Excuse me? Did Mr I'm-Raring-To-Go just tell _me_ to be patient? That's rich!"

Hack chuckled to himself. "That did sound funny coming from you," he added. Sabo slumped down into his chair with a huff.

"Fine, gang up on me," he grumbled. "Did the other ship have any interesting news to share?" Sabo asked, hoping to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"The biggest news within the Revolutionaries at the moment is that we managed to get into Enies Lobby," Koala said, finally sitting back with a languid stretch. "They were very excited to get the information we snagged back to Headquarters. I think the plan is they head straight there while we stay out a bit longer."

"But let me guess, you made no mention of the fact that you found a black den den mushi or made any attempt to hand it over so it could be used by everyone at Headquarters?" Sabo asked, with a grin and a side glance.

Koala smiled innocently. "Finders, keepers."

Sabo shook his head and laughed. Hack simply sighed heavily as he rose slowly to his feet, muttering all the while about not having heard a thing as he made for the small pot of coffee still warming on a Heat Dial.

Sabo had been surprised to find a working one on the ship the first time he'd stepped aboard, since usually they only discovered the occasional broken one. The Captain had been kind enough to explain that one of his former crew members had been from Skypia and brought down dozens of the dials with him. Sabo knew Koala was trying to find a way to swipe one for their usual ship, which was currently undergoing repairs after heavy damage exiting South Blue earlier in the year. Sabo was pleased to say it would take more than what had been thrown at them to bring down his personal vessel, but she was temporarily out of commission.

"How did you explain away your actions at Enies Lobby to Dragon-san, anyway?" Hack asked, setting down a couple of steaming mugs in front of the humans.

"He didn't say much actually," said Koala, before taking a grateful sip of the hot drink. "I thought he would at least yell at Sabo for selfishly doing his own thing again, but nope."

"When have you ever known Dragon-san to yell?" Sabo wondered, pointedly ignoring the selfish quip. Monkey D. Dragon was one of the few people Sabo had ever met who could command attention without ever having to raise his voice. It was a natural talent he was rather envious of.

"Better yet, when have you ever known Dragon-san to yell at Sabo?" the Fish Man asked with a small smirk.

Koala tutted in annoyance. "That is true. It's usually us two that gets all the lectures about keeping our superior in line." The pair shared sympathetic smiles.

"Hey, I get the job done, don't I? Who cares how it's-"

"-_thought about my_ _proposition?_"

"What?" Sabo asked, confused as to where the sudden interruption had come from before Koala hurriedly shushed him and leant eagerly towards the tiny snail which was now broadcasting.

"_Yes, I've spoken with HQ and they have agreed to induct you. The Vice Admiral will be bringing with him the official request when he rendezvous with you._ _The handover has been arranged for three days' time at the following coordinates…"_

Ever efficient, Sabo watched as Koala quickly scribbled down the location. "You never know," she whispered.

"Are they discussing a new Warlord?" asked Hack, disbelief marring his usually stoic face.

"Sounds like it," Sabo muttered, wondering who in the world the marines could be talking to. He had known they were looking for someone to fill Crocodile's former position but there had been no indication they had made any decisions. There was usually at least one name in the pipe line but this time there had been none.

"_Is the prisoner safely contained?" _

"_Yes, I acquired some sea stone cuffs just for this very occasion! __Zehahaha__!" _

Sabo couldn't help the minute shudder that ran up his spine as the zealous laughter echoed around the cabin. He shared a look with Hack who looked equally as disturbed as he felt.

"_Very well. As promised, the bounty will also be handed over during the transfer once all has been confirmed."_

"_Excellent! Soon the marines will be able to let the world know that new Warlord, Captain Blackbeard, captured Fire Fist Ace!_ _Zehahaha__!"_

Sabo felt a physical jolt run through his body as the comment registered. He felt Koala and Hack's stunned gazes on him. There was a shrill ringing in his ears and he watched detachedly as the snail's mouth continued to move, but he couldn't seem to hear a single word it was saying.

…_Captured Fire Fist Ace…_

…_Fire Fist Ace… _

…_Ace… _

…_Captured... _

Despite the number of times he rolled the words around in his head, he couldn't comprehend the notion that Ace, his brother – his gloriously confident, over protective, stubborn brother – had been captured. Sabo couldn't even begin to imagine Ace in chains. He had always been so vibrant and full of life, much like the fire he now carried within himself.

Ace wasn't a quitter and it was that thought that Sabo clung to even as he stared dumbly at Koala who continued to scribble away, a new urgency about her.

"Sabo?" Hack called, reaching out to shake his arm gently. The blond forced his eyes away from the now sleeping snail to see his friends watching him with concern.

"Koala, how far away are we from the handover point?" Sabo asked, voice barely above a whisper, a firm resolve settling over him now the shock had begun to abate.

"Um, hang on," Koala quickly scrambled for a map at the far end of the table. Ordinarily, Sabo would have leapt up to help but he felt if he moved, the forced calm he was desperately trying to hang onto would shatter. He couldn't break now, not while Ace was in trouble.

"We're three days south. It looks like they intend to do a handover near this reef," she said in a rush, jabbing at the appointed spot.

"Go tell the Captain he has a new destination," Sabo ordered curtly.

"Sabo, if we're getting involved in marine business, we're going to need Dragon-san's permission," she said apologetically. Sabo glared at her. "I know you're Chief of Staff but he needs to know what you're planning."

"Koala, as soon as the marines get their hands of Ace, they will execute him!" Sabo shouted as he leapt to his feet. "He is a Commander of Whitebeard's crew and the son of the Pirate King! We don't have time to waste waiting for Dragon-san to get back to us! They'll kill him as soon as they can!"

"Pirate King's…_son_?"

Koala and Hack stared at him, neither seemingly able to grasp what their commander had just revealed.

"But…he…your Grandfather, he wouldn't let them execute Ace though, would he?" Koala asked, faltering over her words and still looking stunned by Sabo's revelation.

"I don't think anything he can say is going to make any difference," Sabo admitted, running a hand through his hair, tugging on the locks in frustration. Garp held a lot of sway but there were some things that were beyond even him. "The bottom line of it is, once Ace is in Impel Down the next time he leaves he'll be heading straight to the execution platform. The best chance I have is to get him before the handover to the marines," he said as he reached into his inner coat pocket and pulled out Ace's vivre card. His chest clenched painfully as he watched it smoulder away in the palm of his hand. "We're already running out of time," he whispered.

"Sabo's right, Koala," Hack injected. The pair turned to see him frowning thoughtfully. "Once they have their hands on Ace, they could easily use him as leverage against Whitebeard. If they announced his public execution, you can bet the world that Whitebeard will act. The marines would have to draft in everyone, Admirals and Warlords, to even stand a chance. It could be all out war," he told them.

A heavy and oppressive silence invaded the cabin. No one moved for several seconds as the gravity of the situation dawned on them.

Sabo squeezed his eyes shut. Ace would never be able to forgive himself if his actions led to a war. If he was even able to survive it himself, that was.

"Okay," said Koala, voice firm and steady, which was more than Sabo felt he was capable of right now. "Right, Hack, you go find the Captain and explain the situation. Get his navigators to plot the fastest route." She handed over the map and coordinates and the Fish Man disappeared. "Sabo, I'm going to put in a request to Headquarters that Dragon-san contact us straight away. You come up with a plan of action for when we reach them. Preferably something that isn't completely crazy!"

Sabo managed a weak smile and patted Koala's shoulder in thanks as he passed her, forever grateful he had such supportive friends at his side.

Ace would be fine, he vowed as he hurried towards his cabin, Sabo was going to make sure of that.

**xxx**

"Hm, I agree with Hack. The navy could easily use this as an act of war against Whitebeard. This is just the opportunity they've been waiting for to rid themselves of Roger's bloodline."

"We know where the handover point is, I'm going after Ace."

"You're not asking for permission, are you?"

"…No…I'm going as his brother, not a Revolutionary."

"Sabo…Fly our colours…"

**xxx**

Sabo stared up at the small triangular flag of the Revolutionaries fluttering hard in the current gale. He hadn't expected Dragon to order him to fly the symbol of the Revolutionaries but for him to have done so could only mean Dragon was finally allowing them to step out of the shadows. A small smile spread across Sabo's face as the prospect of what that meant dawned on him.

A sharp click of heels warned him he was no longer alone.

"This is completely crazy," said Koala dryly as soon as she was within earshot. Sabo turned to her. "I said no crazy plans and what do you give us? A crazy plan," she muttered darkly, flicking a damp strand of hair away from her face.

Sabo shrugged, completely unconcerned and turned back to the railing where Blackbeard's ship could just be made out on the horizon through the sheets of rain pouring down.

Even Sabo had to admit, it was a rather imposing ship, clearly built for presence rather than speed. In the current stormy weather, with rain lashing down every which way in the harsh winds, the grey sails looked almost black and the few lamps were casting an eerie glow on the deck.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay? What about your shoulder?" Koala asked in concern, staring at the shoulder in question as though she could check its condition through Sabo's clothes.

Sabo rolled it carefully. It twinged ever so slightly but it wasn't anything he couldn't ignore. He certainly wasn't going to let it get in the way of rescuing Ace while they had the chance.

"It'll be fine," he reassured his friend, who didn't look at all convinced. "Does everyone know what they're doing?"

Koala nodded, clutching her hat as the wind whipped at them. "Yeah, Hack's going to get below deck and search for Ace, I'm going to cover his retreat and you're going to lead a small team and create a distraction," she reeled off. "And if Blackbeard acts, you're going to fight him, which I think is the crazy part."

Sabo smiled slightly and the pair fell silent as they edged ever closer to the pirate ship. Everyone aboard had participated in raids before so they were by no means novices, but Sabo could privately admit that he was nervous. And not the excited-nervous that had his blood singing but the worried-nervous; the kind that made him feel sick to his stomach. Ace was an excellent fighter even without the abilities of the Mera Mera no Mi, so for him to have fallen to Blackbeard was unexpected to say the least. Sabo only hoped it was because his brother had been caught unawares more than a lack of brute strength because otherwise he could be walking into a whole world of trouble. He was going to have to be very careful if Blackbeard was still capable of fighting and he was under no illusions that this was going to be easy. He just hoped they all escaped without serious injury.

"I hope you know what you're doing," said Koala softly, breaking into his reverie.

"So do I," Sabo whispered, nervously adjusting his hat and goggles.

Over the sounds of the storm, jubilant merrymaking could now be heard below deck of the enemy ship. Amazingly - considering who they currently held captive - there was no sign of a watchman.

"How arrogant," Hack commented casually as he came up behind Sabo.

"They probably don't think they need one," said Sabo as he carefully unhooked his pipe from his coat and the rest of his small boarding party joined him on deck. With an injured shoulder, he didn't want to take the unnecessary risk of not being able to reach his weapon in time.

The Captain, who was remaining behind to coordinate their retreat, joined them. "Ready when you are," he said with a sharp nod.

"As soon as we're on deck, fire a couple of warning shots," Sabo ordered, swiftly jumping up on the railing, his footing remaining sure despite the slippery wood and rolling waves.

"Don't do anything reckless," Koala begged as she and Hack joined him.

Sabo grinned. "Now when have you ever known me to be reckless?" he asked, before launching himself over the gap.

It was now or never.

**xxx**

_Ace felt a small, unbidden smile spreading across his face as a loud twang followed by a thud and a groan of defeat reached his ears. His heart leapt in his chest as familiar laughter washed over him. He had never expected to hear that voice again outside of his dreams and he was still marvelling over the person's shocking appearance. The freckled teen may have teased Luffy the other night, but he also secretly expected to wake up any minute and be hit with a wave of disappointment and devastation that the last three days had all been just a wonderful dream. _

"_I can't believe you still fall for that!" _

_Ace cracked open an eye and watched with amusement as Sabo crouched down next to their little brother, who was smashed against a tree trunk upside down with his feet hanging down by his ears. The blond was still chuckling lightly as he gently tipped Luffy the right way up. _

_Luffy shook his head and whined. "Damn it! I still can't get it to work!" _

_Ace chortled. "Did you try using that finger shield thing again?" he asked, pushing himself up onto his elbows from his spot in the shade where he had been 'banished'. _

_Luffy had been adamant about training only with Sabo and Ace couldn't blame him. The young teen was relishing the attention Sabo was showering on him and he was eager to show his older brother how he had improved. Ace had barely been able to get a word in edge ways but found he couldn't be mad at Luffy for stealing Sabo's attention. He was just happy to be in the company of his two favourite people again. _

_Although, Ace couldn't deny that he was looking forward to having a spar with the blond. He was eager to test his skills out against his brother. Luffy, whilst always unpredictable, was easy to beat but Sabo he could tell immediately moved differently. He had always made everything look effortless but Ace could see there was an underlying strength in the blond that hadn't been there before. All his movements were now calculated yet graceful. In all honestly, Ace felt rather awkward and gangly next to his brother who, despite his hatred of them, looked every inch the noble he was born to be. Only much more humble, if Ace did say so himself. _

"_Perhaps you should try stretching your fingers a different way," Sabo suggested to Luffy, who was frowning down at his hands as if they held all the answers. _

"_Maybe," he sighed heavily before looking up with a confident grin. "But I will beat you both, just you watch!" Luffy shouted triumphantly. _

_Ace snorted loudly. "You're years too early to even be thinking about beating us. You should count yourself lucky if you can even smash a rock with that Pistol attack by the time I set off next year," Ace told him. _

_Luffy stuck his tongue out at his big brother in retaliation. Ace rolled his eyes as Sabo easily dropped down beside him in the cool shelter of the trees, his pipe thudding to the dry ground. _

"_Hey, Sabo, can I play with this?" Luffy pleaded, instantly pouncing on the abandoned pipe. "I haven't used one in ages," he explained, taking a few experimental swings. _

"_Sure," Sabo shrugged. Luffy cheered and leapt away with his prize, happily swinging the lead pipe around at invisible enemies. _

"_You sure that's a good idea?" Ace asked, finally sitting up, his open shirt flapping softly in a gentle breeze. Sabo sent him a questioning glance. "He managed to break three in one week earlier this year, that's why I decided not to bother with them anymore," he elaborated. _

_Sabo grinned. "It's sturdier than it looks. Much like Luffy, in fact," he mused thoughtfully, casting aside his top hat and crossing his legs, relaxing back onto his hands. _

_A comfortable silence settled over the pair as they watched their little brother dance around the clearing, completely oblivious to his audience. _

"_You've done a good job with him," Sabo acknowledged quietly. Ace stared at him, completely baffled. Sabo grinned. "I mean raising Luffy. You've done a good job, especially since our future Pirate King probably made it as hard as possible."_

_Ace frowned. "I didn't raise Luffy. Dadan did," he defended, although even to his own ears the explanation sounded weak. _

"_Oh, come on! We both know that's not the case," Sabo chortled. "Let's face it, Dadan kept you alive but she didn't raise you," he said, turning back to watch Luffy. _

"_I guess so," Ace admitted and let himself fall backwards, the soft grass tickling his bare arms and neck and a cool breeze brushing over his exposed chest. He stared thoughtfully up into the swaying branches above them. Not once had the thought ever occurred to him that he was essentially raising his brother by himself. It was true that he had been the one to teach and look out for Luffy, but that was because he was always there. He couldn't find himself resenting the idea though, because without Luffy in his life, it would have been very empty. _

_Ace smiled fondly as their younger brother's whoops of delight reached them. _

"_Thank you," Sabo suddenly whispered. _

_Ace glanced up at him to see the blond was smiling at him. _

"_For what?" he wondered. He couldn't think of a single thing he had done which would warrant gratitude. _

"_For taking care of him like I asked," said Sabo softly. _

_Ace felt his breath catch as he suddenly recalled the words written in Sabo's last letter to them. _

_**Luffy is still a weak cry baby but he's our little brother so take good care of him! **_

_Ace could feel an uncomfortable heat spreading across his cheeks and he shifted, suddenly very aware of Sabo's eyes on him. "I would've done so even you hadn't," he mumbled, clearing his throat awkwardly. _

_Sabo broke into a wide grin. "I know," he reasoned, "I doubt Luffy would've let it be any other way but I still felt it needed saying." Sabo reached out and carded a hand through Ace's wayward locks. "I'm proud of you," he said softly. _

_Ace felt his eyes widen and he gaped at Sabo, who simply continued to smile. The blond patted him on the head knowingly before shifting to lay down perpendicular to Ace, his head coming to rest on the other's bare chest. _

_Ace drew in a shaky breath, which he knew that Sabo would be able to feel, but he couldn't help himself. No one, not even Gramps, had said those words to him before. He mentally shook himself, trying desperately to ignore the moisture he could feel building behind his eyes. _

_He wasn't naturally an affectionate person; he struggled to express himself and he let his temper get the better of him more often than not. That had all had to change when Sabo left, though. He had to be the responsible one, the one who guided and praised. It was not a role that had come naturally to him by any means. He would never admit it to anyone, but he had always wondered throughout the years whether Sabo would've agreed with how he treated Luffy._

_Ace blinked rapidly and glanced down at his brother, silently thanking him. _

_There was a sudden rush of feet as Luffy came into view and flopped down beside the pair. He peered curiously at Ace, getting right up into his face. Ace grimaced, hoping he hadn't actually shed any tears before pushing his brother's sweaty face away. Luffy giggled before spreading himself out on his stomach so he could watch the pair, fingers tangling to play with Sabo's. The blond simply smiled indulgently at him. _

"_Sabo, tell us another story," the younger ordered. Ace huffed with amusement and Sabo laughed before submitting to the demand. _

"_Okay, well there was this one time that __Ivankov made__…"_

Ace opened his eyes slowly, the lingering memory of his brothers' warmth drifting away like leaves on a breeze and leaving him cold and alone in the small cell in the inner sanctum of Teach's ship.

_Or rather Blackbeard's ship_, Ace thought darkly. If the idiot wanted to use his new moniker, who was Ace to stop him. In the Commander's mind, Teach had been his crew mate, however distant the pair had been. Blackbeard was a traitor and a murderer and the new name suited him extraordinarily well.

Ace grimaced as the pain of his wounds began to register once again. None of Blackbeard's new crew had thought to treat him properly. They had simply laughed and taunted as they had thrown ice cold sea water over him once they had him safely bound. The salt had stung his many lacerations and the freezing temperature had been a forceful reminder that Ace hadn't felt truly cold in a very long time.

He stared down at the sea stone cuffs digging tightly into his wrists. Blackbeard was nothing if not prepared, he had to admit grudgingly.

His single consolation about the current situation, which even he had to admit looked extremely bleak, was that Blackbeard had sustained heavy damage in their fight too. So much so in fact, that he had delayed his plans to go after Luffy on Water 7 and decided to contact the marines and organise a hand over for Fire Fist Ace's bounty. Ace hoped that by the time Blackbeard had recovered enough to consider searching for his little brother again Luffy would be long gone from the area.

Loud, rambunctious laughter echoed down the small stairwell and there was heavy thudding on the ceiling. A party was clearly underway somewhere above judging by the noise. Ace was relieved. If they were drunk and distracted they wouldn't think of him. He had quickly grown tired of the crew taking turns appearing in front of his cell, each one gloating about what they planned on doing with their share of Ace's enormous bounty. Ace personally thought they were rather delusional. He couldn't see Blackbeard handing over a share to anyone but his self-appointed commanders.

Ace glared darkly as his empty stomach growled loudly, a pitiful reminder that he hadn't eaten in days.

He shifted, tugging experimentally at the cuffs before being forced to stop as his entire body protested at the movement. He was pretty sure he had a few broken ribs and he was more black and blue than he ever remembered being before. His neck and shoulders were screaming with every motion the ship made, a painful reminder of the powerful blow Blackbeard had managed to unexpectedly land on him. His head ached like hell too, although he was pretty certain that was more due to exhaustion than anything else.

Ace couldn't recall the last time he had been beaten so badly, if ever. He wasn't at all hopeful that once he was in the possession of the marines they would offer him any pain relief. Why would they waste resources on a prisoner that was destined for the execution stand?

He grunted as a wave slammed into the bulkhead, the sudden motion sending him sliding a few feet to the left. He drew in a shuddering breath to try and dispel nausea. There were alarmed shouts from above and Ace sincerely hoped that at least one of the drunken idiots had ended up falling overboard.

Another wave slammed into them. Ace half wished that the ship would go down in the Grand Line's unpredictable weather before reaching the handover point; he would much rather die at sea than in the hands of the marines. There were no portholes this far down in the hull but the young Commander was pretty certain more than a couple of days had passed. They must be nearing their destination by now.

Rather than continue to stare at the far wall where the key to his cuffs hung on a hook, swaying tauntingly at him, Ace closed his eyes and tried to relax his tired body, willing his mind to return to happier times with his brothers.

His brothers.

Sabo.

Luffy.

He couldn't imagine either one of them would be too proud of him when the news of his capture and defeat reached them. He hoped they wouldn't be too angry. He wouldn't put it past either of them to at least try and save him, but that was the last thing he wanted. As much as he selfishly wished to see them, that would mean they would be in as much danger as he was right now and he didn't want to even imagine that scenario.

Ace shivered despite the warmth filling his chest as he thought of the pair. He was cold and he could feel his body starting to shut down on him, his limbs feeling heavy and useless.

His eyes shot open in alarm as the ship rolled violently. He slammed into the steel door of the cell. He had to blink rapidly to try and rid himself of the bright spots clouding his vision. The freckled man weakly grasped the bars as the ship lurched again.

There was the tell-tale whistle of cannon fire and panicked screams.

Ace stared at the ceiling, panting heavily as fresh pain spread throughout his body. He could only just hear over the roar of the waves and creaking of the ship the familiar sounds of swords clashing and pistol fire.

He frowned, wondering if the marines had decided to take down Blackbeard's crew. He couldn't think why though because Blackbeard didn't even have a bounty on his head yet. To the marines, he was a no-one.

Ace bit back a scream as he was thrown yet again into the cell door. His head bumped painfully against the metal and he instantly felt blood welling up and dripping down his temple. He shook his head to try and clear it as he became aware he could hear the fighting plainly now, a sure sign it was getting closer. Ace forced himself to focus and pushed himself to his feet; this could well be his one chance to possibly escape.

Desperation filled him as he realised his legs were trembling violently and he knew without a doubt that he would be on his knees if he released his death grip on the steel bars. He gasped for air, squeezing his eyes tightly shut as he lost his balance in a rolling wave and slid to the floor. He slammed his hand into the metal, furious with himself. He hated feeling weak but his body was betraying him as his arms wouldn't even gather the strength to raise his body up again.

A loud crash from the doorway jolted Ace from his misery. He stared as a body thudded into view, landing in an awkward heap and remaining motionless. There were pounding footsteps from the corridor and Ace braced himself to be confronted with a marine but instead gaped as a Fish Man appeared in the entrance.

They stared at each other for several second, neither one apparently able to comprehend what they were seeing before the Fish Man moved quickly. He swiftly smashed a fist into the cell lock, shattering it instantly. Ace blinked as the door swung open.

"Come on, we need to move now," the Fish Man grunted, reaching inside and grasping Ace's right arm in a tight grip.

Ace struggled up, limbs aching and head spinning as he was set on his feet too quickly. He tottered unsteadily until an arm was wrapped under his armpits and he was half carried, half dragged towards the door. The open gi and black belt adorning the Fish man were definitely not marine issue uniform and Ace had no idea what was going on. "Who-"

"No time to explain, we need to leave now," said the Fish Man, pausing just long enough to grab the key to the sea stone cuffs and stuffing it into a pocket before they were forcing their way over the limp body and down the cramped corridor.

Ace had no choice but to let himself be practically carried up through the bowls of the ship, stumbling over unconscious crew members and discarded weapons. He hissed in pain as he was jerked roughly around a corner and pushed up a narrow flight of steps.

"Hack! Did you find him?"

A figure appeared above them in the doorway, her silhouette perfectly framed by the stormy skies Ace could see raging above them. The fierce rain was relentless, gushing down the steps in miniature waterfalls, making it even harder for Ace to find his feet. The screams and war cries were becoming louder as they ascended.

"Yeah, I got him!" the Fish Man shouted right into Ace's ear, causing the young man to flinch even as he struggled to recall where he had heard the name 'Hack' before. "Tell everyone to pull back now," he ordered, continuing to push Ace along.

There was pandemonium everywhere as they finally emerged onto the open, rain-slicked deck. Blackbeard's crew had very clearly been taken off guard by the sudden attack, milling around in a disorganised and panicked fashion. Ace could hear a couple of Blackbeard's crew desperately shouting orders but it was far too late for them to organise a counterattack.

Ace struggled to take it all in as Hack dragged him across the deck towards the stern of the ship with the young woman clearing a path through the melee. Numerous planks had been ripped away by what Ace could only guess was Blackbeard's Devil Fruit powers, leaving behind gaping holes to leap over. Ace stared at the ship lying alongside Blackbeard's that they were obviously aiming to reach, trying to place it, but it wasn't one he recognised.

There was a furious roar over the screaming winds which Ace instantly recognised as Blackbeard. The young woman in front of them jerked to a sudden stop and paled considerably. Ace felt a shudder go through Hack.

"We need to hurry," the woman stammered nervously, gesturing at the few remaining people to retreat onto the ship. "I'm not sure how much longer Sabo can hold him off!"

Ace's blood ran cold and he jerked his head up, blinking rapidly through the torrential rain to stare hard at the young woman.

"Sabo?" he hesitated, resisting Hack's insistent tugs towards the ship's railing. "Where is-"

A resounding crash from above and splintering wood had all three diving to the deck.

Ace flinched and his vision swayed dangerously as the railing of the upper deck scattered all over them. He feebly pushed away the sodden debris as his would-be-rescuers scrambled to their feet. Ace glanced up and his heart stopped.

Above them on the upper deck, he could just make out the familiar figure of his brother, top hat missing and his blond hair plastered to his head in the downpour, struggling fiercely within Blackbeard's iron grip. Ace felt his blood boil as a beefy hand reached up to wrap around Sabo's throat.

Ace lunged to his feet with a strength he didn't realise he still possessed only for his arms to be grabbed from behind. Unwillingly, he torn his eyes away from his brother and struggled futilely in the Fish Man's restraining arms.

"Let go!" he shouted, ignoring his burning lungs and the taste of iron. "I have to help Sabo! He can't fight him! Don't let him-" He swayed dangerously as his knees began to buckle.

"Listen to me!" the young woman cried as she punched an incoming pirate in the nose. "You _cannot_ fight like that! Get to the ship, the sooner you're on, the sooner we can leave!"

Ace tried to shake his head, unwilling to listen to reason. He wouldn't leave Sabo to face Blackbeard, he _couldn't!_ He turned back to his brother, only for his eyes to widen his horror as Sabo was slammed against the wheelhouse.

"No! _Sabo!"_ he screamed, weakly thrashing against Hack's arms.

Blackbeard jerked in surprise as Ace's voice reached them over the storm and he spun to look at them, fury clouding his face. He raised a hand only for Burgess to scream at him from the wheelhouse he could destroy the ship if he used his Devil Fruit. Blackbeard paused, before his gaze flickered between Ace and Sabo. Ace could see the pair talking but he couldn't make out the words. He could only watch as Blackbeard smirked at him knowingly and turned his attention to the thrashing Revolutionary in his grasp.

"Sorry about this," Hack said from behind him, and dug a finger into the back to Ace's neck.

Ace felt his body fall limp and he was lifted into the arms of the Fish Man.

"Sabo-" he choked out, before darkness finally overtook him.

**XXX**

_**To be continued…**_

Yep, I'm being cruel and ending it there! You're all just going to have to wait to see how Sabo is I'm afraid. The next update will be in early May.

I know there are lots of AU fics out there detailing Ace's rescue from Marineford (I'm pretty sure I've read all of them!) but I wanted to do something a little different so I hope you enjoyed it!

I know there aren't any other Blackbeard pirates detailed in canon but I did sort of need them for the story so Blackbeard's crew here is slightly larger than depicted by Oda but he must have started building up his crew at some point!


	5. Banaro Island Part 2

**Author Note**: I'm back! Did you miss me? Posting this today in honour of our favourite captain's birthday! Can I just say, I love sharing my birth month with Luffy :D

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the earlier chapters!

Shout out to AuthenticAussie, my beta!

**XXX**

**Chapter 5 - Banaro Island**** Part II**

**XXX**

Sabo decided he was going to punch Ace as soon as he could. Hard.

Everything had been going swimmingly. The boarding party had all made it safely across and the cannon fire had disrupted the pirate crew's little party, throwing them all into disarray. If Sabo had been a more forgiving mood - and they hadn't been on their way to handing his brother over to the marines - he might have felt a little sorry for them. The pirates were startled, disorganised and in many cases extremely inebriated. The Revolutionaries had easily cut a path through the rambunctious crew, allowing Hack to sneak below deck in search of Ace.

Blackbeard's little sniper had posed no threat once they had him surrounded, all his attacks being geared towards long range fighting, and he had been easily incapacitated with a sharp blow to the head. The Doctor had been fighting surprisingly well considering he didn't look like he could even stand up straight, let alone fight, but he too had been overpowered. The only one who looked like he could deal some serious damage was currently wrestling with the ship's wheel, trying desperately to steer away from their pursuers. It was a losing battle – the Revolutionary's ship was being steered by the Captain and was significantly faster, capable of keeping pace easily.

The real trouble had started when Blackbeard himself had emerged from the depths of the ship, no doubt drawn out of his sanctum by the noise of the chaos.

Sabo swore loudly as the imposing and furious Captain stormed his way across the upper deck and towards the wheelhouse, tossing aside friend and foe alike if they crossed his path.

"Koala, any sign of Hack?" Sabo called, slamming his pipe into his opponent, trying not to flinch as an enraged roar sounded over the noise of the storm.

"Not yet!" she cried, elegantly dodging an incoming pirate. "Do you think we can avoid fighting him?" Koala wondered, before yelping in alarm as several loose planks, ropes and weapons flew past their heads. Sabo grabbed her arm and dragged her back towards the cover of the stairwell. The pair risked a look to the upper deck.

Blackbeard was stood just outside the wheelhouse, waves of darkness – seemingly seeping from the pirate captain himself – reaching out in wispy tendrils to grasp and pull at everything they touched.

Sabo watched, stunned as the planks in front of his feet began to shake and tremble before they were eventually ripped straight up, splinters shattering everywhere. With a deft swing of his pipe, he deflected the flying shrapnel away from himself and Koala, who was softly urging Hack to hurry up under her breath.

The blond had to wonder what in the world Ace had been thinking even attempting to go after this man. Even from several meters away, Sabo could feel the terrible presence Blackbeard was throwing off. It was overwhelming and he could easily imagine it crippling weaker men.

Sabo felt a penetrating gaze fall on him and he looked up. Blackbeard was looking straight down at him from the upper deck, a manic glint in his eye and a delighted smirk on his face. Sabo caught his gaze and felt a tremor of fear course through his blood. He tightened his grip on his pipe even as he carefully shifted away from Koala, unwilling to have her in the line of fire.

Apparently Blackbeard had the same knack as Luffy for instinctively seeking out the strongest threat.

"Koala, keep everyone away from the upper deck," the blond ordered before taking a running leap for the stairs.

"Sabo!" Koala screamed from behind him, but he ignored her. If they were to stand any chance of saving Ace, they needed Blackbeard distracted, so distract Blackbeard he would.

"Zehahaha! And just who do we have here?" Blackbeard inquired as Sabo gracefully landed several feet away from him. "I don't know whether to call you brave or foolish for attacking my ship."

Sabo smiled, ignoring the lashings of wind and rain whipping at his coat. "I like to consider myself both." Judging from the rather startled expression on the pirate captain's face, he hadn't been expecting that answer.

"How can I help a fine gentleman such as yourself?" Blackbeard asked, as more black tendrils spread out from his body.

"Oh, I'm far from being a gentleman," Sabo scoffed. This close to the man, Sabo could now see underneath his black garbs, Blackbeard was actually heavily bandaged and his coat was badly singed. There were small lacerations covering his bare hands and whilst he held himself confidently, Sabo could see a guarded weariness on his face.

Sabo allowed a small, proud grin to spread across his face as he observed the damage Ace had managed to do to Blackbeard before his capture. As expected, his brother hadn't gone down without a fierce fight.

Hoping the pirate was still feeling the effects of his altercation with Ace, Sabo braced himself, his right hand quickly forming the now familiar claw.

"Not one for talking, then?" Blackbeard smirked, raising his own hand. "Liberation!" he bellowed.

Sabo easily dodged the sudden barrage of crushed and splintered objects that threw themselves out of the darkness surrounding Blackbeard. He knocked aside what he could only assume was once a large mead barrel and made a sharp turn to the left before launching himself forward. Pipe raised defensively to cover his left side, Sabo pulled his right arm back. The familiar sensation of Haki coating his hand and forearm was welcomed and he punched his hand straight towards Blackbeard.

The pirate roared, in surprise or pain Sabo wasn't quite sure as he dug his Dragon Claw into Blackbeard's side. The momentum of his attack forced them both to crash into the wheelhouse. There was a cry of alarm from inside as a large shock wave shook the small structure, several large cracks appearing in the damp wood.

Sabo leapt back as Blackbeard took a wild swing at him, feet skidding several paces back on the slippery deck.

"Hm, don't meet many people who can do _that_ on the Grand Line," Blackbeard panted with a grin, hand coming up to press against his side. His hand came away with a small smear of blood, but Sabo wasn't going to fool himself that it would slow Blackbeard down any.

"If we're going to do this," said Blackbeard, slowly pushing himself back to his feet, "will you at least have the courtesy of telling me why you're attacking my ship? You're looking at the new Warlord, you know," he bragged, arms spread out wide.

"I imagine the marines will only grant you that status if you hand over Fire Fist Ace to them, as promised," said Sabo, casually twirling his pipe. Blackbeard's eyes widened and his face went slack in surprise. Sabo smiled, blue eyes piercing into the pirate. "But I'm not going to let that happen," he promised, face darkening.

"Ah, news of Ace's capture's spread already?" Blackbeard crowed. "Has everyone heard how utterly pitiful he is when unable to use his Devil Fruit? His face was priceless when he realised how utterly useless it was to keep going but he still kept getting up! I might have to have the newspapers change the story. We can't have people admiring such pathetic bravery. And to think, it could have all ended so painlessly if he had just agreed to join my crew! Zehahaha!"

Sabo had to force himself not to react as Blackbeard continued to laugh, obviously finding the whole situation hysterical. He was silently cursing Ace though, as from what Blackbeard was saying, Ace had just kept coming at him, even past the point he realised he couldn't win. The pirate had no reason to lie and it certainly sounded like something his brother would do.

First Luffy using those ridiculous gear attacks, doing who-knows-what to his body in the process, and now Ace once again refusing to even contemplate a tactical retreat; Sabo was beginning to think that both his brothers were determined to give him a heart attack before he turned twenty-one.

But he had no time to ponder revenge on his brothers for causing him such worry; Blackbeard lunged for him.

Each blow they traded, Sabo could feel the shock waves pulsate through his lead pipe, jarring his shoulders as he braced himself. He didn't dare deflect with his arm – even coated with Haki he figured Blackbeard could probably break something. The man's physical strength was immense and Sabo unfortunately wasn't made of rubber like Luffy so couldn't absorb any of the blows that landed.

Clutching his pipe, he made to swipe directly for Blackbeard's feet but a flash of pain flared up in shoulder as he pulled his arm back. He shuddered as his whole arm trembled and his Haki dispersed as his concentration shattered. The blond had no time to dodge as Blackbeard's hand slammed into his side, sending him flying across the deck.

Sabo coughed and spluttered as he landed, the air knocked out of him. He forced himself back to his knees, weight resting heavily on his pipe as his feet fought for purchase on the wet deck. His hat fell from his head, rolling away cheerfully until it disappeared down the stairs to the lower deck. Sabo's hair was quickly dyed a honey blond as the rain and sea spray drenched him.

"I must admit, I admire your determination," the pirate laughed, head thrown back. "But playtime is over. Black Vortex," Blackbeard smirked, arm extending towards the blond.

Sabo jerked as his centre of balance was knocked off. Unwillingly, he lurched forwards, heading straight towards Blackbeard's outstretched hand.

Panicked, he thrashed wildly against the inky blackness, but his pipe and hands simply passed straight through the dark tendrils. He could feel every muscle in his back screaming against the tension as he tried to lean away from the gravity tugging at him. He cursed as Blackbeard made to grab him.

Desperately, Sabo forced away the dread threatening to overwhelm him and strained to focus his Haki through his hands and out into the pipe, the silver lead quickly tarnishing to shiny black as he swung it around. At this distance, there was no room for error and the pipe made contact with the side of Blackbeard's head. The pirate roared.

Sabo dropped to the deck like a stone. Panting heavily, he forced the exhaustion he could feel creeping along his limbs out of his mind. He winced as he rose to his feet, pipe once again its usual colour. He hadn't wanted to imbue it at all. It was one thing to do it himself, he thought as he stumbled backwards, but it required a whole other level of concentration to force his Haki into an object.

He lurched to the side as several large objects were thrown towards him from the darkness. He couldn't even guess at what half of them were, they were so crushed and deformed. He heard the railing behind him shatter as they gave way under the barrage.

Sabo blinked fiercely, trying to spy Blackbeard through the torrent of rain and projectiles but the man was well camouflaged in the growing gloom and Sabo didn't spot him until he appeared directly next to him. He had a single moment to admire the man's speed before one beefy hand wrapped around his throat. The second hand dug painfully into his shoulder, attempting to make him relinquish his grip on his pipe but Sabo held on tight.

"Zehahaha! I'm beginning to lean towards you being more foolish," Blackbeard grinned mockingly.

Searing pain raced up Sabo's spine as he was slammed against the wheelhouse. He reached up to claw at the hand around his neck, desperately trying to ease the grip, but only choking as the pressure increased. Black spots were beginning to cloud his vision and Blackbeard's smirking face leered down at him.

"No! _Sabo!"_

Blackbeard jerked around in shock as Ace's scream echoed over the storm.

The fingers around his neck loosened a fraction and Sabo greedily gulped in a couple of deep breaths before the pressure returned. Still, despite his own pain, Sabo was relieved to hear his brother's voice, as strong as always – even if he did sound petrified. The blond could only hope that Hack had listened to his advice and not removed Ace's handcuffs. The last thing they needed was for an injured Ace to try and charge to the rescue.

"Damn it," growled Blackbeard, releasing the Revolutionary's shoulder and stretching his hand towards the skies. Sabo stared in alarm at the movement.

"Captain! Stop! You're damaging the ship!" the burly man in the wheelhouse screamed. If Sabo'd had the energy, he would've been laughing at hearing fear from such a formidable man. As it was, he could barely draw enough breath to remain conscious, let alone laugh.

Blackbeard paused, realisation dawning on him and Sabo could see his beady eyes darting around the deck, taking in the damage he'd wrecked on his ship. If it were even possible, he looked all the more furious.

"Don't let them take Ace!" Blackbeard howled, throwing Sabo around in his grip like a ragdoll. Sabo winced as his neck felt like it was being stretched. He tried frantically to find some purchase with his feet but Blackbeard was holding him so high he could barely reach the deck with his toes.

"Why? Why are you doing this?" the pirate demanded, pulling Sabo close.

"H-he's my br-_brother_," Sabo rasped, taking great delight in the surprise that overtook Blackbeard's expression.

Blackbeard shook his head, suddenly looking far too amused for Sabo's liking. "Ace plays his cards close to his chest, doesn't he? I never imagined there was even one brother, never mind two! No matter. I'll kill you here, recover Ace and then go after your little brother, Straw Hat. He has quite the impressive bounty too! Zehahaha!"

White hot fury laced its way through Sabo, even as understanding slowly dawned on him. It was no wonder Ace hadn't backed down. If this monster had made any indication he was targeting Luffy, Ace would never walk away. His protective streak would have overridden everything else, even the tiny shred of common sense Sabo knew he possessed. Much like his own was now, Sabo acknowledged, as his eyes narrowed dangerously at the very clear threat against his little brother.

"You won't get to lay a finger on Luffy," Sabo managed to snarl, raising his pipe.

Blue eyes roved over Blackbeard's figure, quickly finding what they was looking for. Sabo knew he only had one shot as he raised his left hand and imbued it with Haki. Snapping his hand into his signature Dragon Claw, Sabo thrust his hand forward, aiming straight for the weeping wound on Blackbeard's chest.

The man hollered as Sabo's gloved fingers sank into the open wound. Sabo flinched as he felt something crack in his hand but Blackbeard's grip on his neck was finally relinquished.

The blond hit the deck hard, coughing and gasping for air. Ignoring his burning lungs and the throbbing pain in his neck and fingers, Sabo forced himself to his feet and staggered away from the screaming captain.

Sabo wasn't quite sure how he managed to get back to the Revolutionary ship. Everything was one large blur of movement and noise and chaos. One moment he was stumbling down the stairs to the lower deck, barely remembering to gather up his fallen hat, and the next he was in front of Koala.

The brunette started at his sudden appearance, just managing to catch his arms as his knees buckled. Sabo slumped against her shoulder, trusting her to keep him upright as he coughed, his lungs still screaming for air and throat still feeling the ghost of Blackbeard's hands trying to crush his oesophagus.

"Are you okay?" Koala screamed at him over all the noise of the storm, the pained groans of the injured, the shouting of orders and rushing of feet to carry them out.

"Ace," Sabo wheezed, taking a quick look around the deck, but he couldn't see any sign of his brother.

"Hack's taken him to one of the cabins. Had to knock him out," she said shortly. Sabo managed a nod, unsurprised that Hack had had to resort to such action. He felt Koala tugging insistently at his pipe, still clasped tightly in his fist, until he finally relinquished it. His hand felt very empty without it. He had half a mind to ask for it back but one stern look from his friend halted his demand.

"Sabo! Koala! Marine ship coming in from the East!" a young Revolutionary shouted, pointing over the railing.

"Captain! Get us out of here now!" Koala ordered, grip painfully tight on Sabo's arms as he struggled to his feet. He staggered to railing and peered out into the storm. He could just make out white sails on the horizon.

"Oh my- Sabo! Your neck!"

The blond swayed as Koala swung him around. He flinched as Koala urgently tugged the collar of his shirt down and stared in horror at what Sabo could only assume was the beginnings of a very impressive bruise.

"It's fine," he said, trying to pull away from her, but Koala was having none of it.

"It's not fine at all!" she screeched. "He could have killed you! I'm sure _that_ would've really have pleased your brother!"

Sabo winced as the rant escalated in volume. He was vaguely aware of several crew members nervously shifting away from the fuming woman. Whilst a rare occurrence, Koala wasn't above using violence to get her point across and no one wanted to be in the firing line.

Sabo attempted to interrupt but his voice seemed to have deserted him and his throat felt like it was on fire. The throbbing in his hand had quickly spread up his arm and into his head and he wanted nothing more than to check on Ace, then possibly pass out for a week or two. He pushed away from the railing, fully intending to retreat inside. The Captain was more than capable of handling their retreat.

He blinked rapidly as his vision began to blur and he suddenly found himself flat on his back staring up at the sails and rigging flapping in the stiff wind.

Koala managed to catch his head, her quick reflexes saving him from a concussion on top of all the other pains he could now feel seeping into his body. He shivered as the freezing rain continued to pelt down on them.

"Someone go get Hack back out here! We'll carry him inside," Koala ordered before her gaze flickered back down to him. His body felt heavy and lethargic as she shifted him until his head rested on her knees as opposed to the hard deck. He saw Koala heave a sigh and shake her head slightly before reaching out to brush the damp strands of hair out of his face. "You can rest now, Sabo, you've done enough," she told him quietly.

Sabo closed his eyes, trusting in his friend's arms and finally allowing his aching body to relax as he succumbed to his exhaustion.

**xxx**

Awareness returned to Ace like a bolt of lightning. He jerked his eyes open with a weak gasp and quickly slammed them shut again as the early morning sun pouring through the porthole announced its presence. He could just make the faint cry of seagulls in the distance. Shielding his eyes with a hand, Ace forced himself up onto an elbow, ignoring his body's throbbing protests.

A quick scan of his body showed that someone had patched him up. His ribs were bound, his lacerations had been cleaned and he could feel a simple dressing covering the small gash to his temple.

Much to his relief, he could also feel the comforting heat of his Devil Fruit again, and a quick glance at his wrists confirmed the sea stone cuffs had been removed.

He forced himself to sit up and take note of his surroundings. He was on a bed, no one having bothered to cover him with sheets but his boots and belt had been thoughtfully removed. He was in a rather plain cabin, which he could only take to assume meant that they had managed to escape Blackbeard's ship. He certainly wouldn't have been given a cabin by anyone other than his brother.

But there was no sign of Sabo and even more worryingly, no sign that he had been in the cabin at all. The second bunk was empty, its mattress devoid of sheets and the chair by Ace's bedside had clearly been used as a table judging by the spare bandages and ointments that had been left behind.

Ace drew in a steadying breath and swung his legs to the floor. He was forced to pause as his body screamed at him to lie back down and rest but he ignored it. He needed to find his brother. He cast a quick look around for his boots and spotted them at the foot of the bed. He gingerly reached for them.

A small cough echoed from the doorway.

Ace jerked his head up and flinched as his back jarred painfully.

The young woman from Blackbeard's ship was smiling hesitantly at him, brown hair framing her face.

"The doctor will kill you for moving around so soon, you know," she said, taking a couple of steps forward. "We didn't have time to introduce ourselves earlier. I'm Koala. I work with your brother."

Ace glared and continued to pull on his boots. "I don't care," he mumbled. "Where's Sabo?"

"He's fine. He's in his cabin. You really should lie back down you know, those were some nasty wounds. Two days of rest won't have healed them," Koala said, casually linking her hands behind her back.

Ace shuddered as he acknowledged he had spent two days unconscious before he shook his head and glared at the young woman. "You're lying," he growled, his dark eyes boring into her. "If Sabo was really fine, he would be in here already chewing me a new one. But he's not. So where the hell is my brother?"

Koala stared blankly at him for several seconds before releasing a heavy sigh.

"Are you sure you, Sabo and Luffy aren't _really_ related? You're all as stubborn as each other," she said, humourlessly. Ace just glowered at her. She frowned and sighed wearily. "Sabo is fine, I promise. And he really is in his cabin. He passed out from exhaustion as soon as we were clear of Blackbeard's ship."

Ace felt the tension drain out him instantly.

"Is he okay?" he asked quietly, memories of Blackbeard's hand wrapped around his brother's throat returning to him.

Koala snorted. "He pushed himself too hard, but that's nothing new. You'd have thought he'd have more sense than to go against Blackbeard when he was still recovering from fighting the CP9 agents at Enies Lobby," she said as she perched herself on the edge of the chair.

"I spoke to Sabo after that, he said him and Luffy were both fine," said Ace, a little confused.

Koala smiled. "Sabo didn't want Luffy to worry or feel guilty so he didn't say anything but he hurt his shoulder when he was taking out one of the marine warships," she explained easily. Ace rolled his eyes in disbelief even as his stomach knotted painfully at the thought of one of his brothers actually being on a marine warship, even if it was just to destroy it. "I know," Koala agreed with his silent disapproval.

"Anything else?" Ace prompted.

"He's black and blue like you," Koala continued, eyeing Ace's battered body, which was littered with bruises. "He fractured a couple of fingers trying his Haki coated Dragon Claw against Blackbeard. He can use Haki pretty well but he was already at his limit and it wasn't strong enough. The doctor said they'll heal in no time though," Koala assured him.

Ace nodded and rose to his feet shakily. Koala leapt up in alarm.

"Where do you think you're going?" she demanded.

"To see Sabo," Ace insisted, walking slowly towards the door, mindful not to trip over his untied boot laces.

"I just told you how he was! I don't think walking around is going to do you any good at all," she said, quickly moving to block his way.

Ace scowled. "Look, you can either take me to Sabo's cabin, or I can wander around looking for it. Either way, I'm _not_ staying in here," he said firmly.

Koala huffed and threw her hands in the air. "Why do I even bother? Come on, Sabo's cabin is upstairs in the officers' quarters."

Despite her obvious annoyance (Ace sensed that it was more concern than anything else) Koala kept the pace considerately slow, which Ace was extremely grateful for. He listened to the young woman's running commentary as they wandered through the internal corridor and up the blissfully short flight of stairs, using her voice to distract him from the burning ache in his back and shoulders.

He was panting and sweating heavily by the time they reached Sabo's cabin.

"Do you maybe want me to get you some painkillers?" Koala asked, biting her bottom lip worriedly.

Ace shook his head, leaning heavily against the door frame. "No, I'll be fine once I lay down," he offered her a weak smile.

Koala nodded and reached forward to open for the door for him. "I'll let the doctor know you'll be staying in here. It'll probably make it easier for him to check on his two most stubborn patients if you're in the same room. I'll make sure someone sends some food up for you guys in a few hours," she said with a soft smile, before turning and leaving Ace to it.

Ace entered the cabin cautiously, knowing his brother was a much lighter sleeper than he was and could wake up at any moment.

Unlike the cabin Ace had woken up in, Sabo's was dimly lit, a small curtain having been pulled across the porthole. There was just enough light for Ace to see that it was obviously solely for Sabo's use and there were various items – primarily books and what looked to be reports of various sorts – scattered over every available surface. Ace smiled fondly as he carefully picked his way over a couple of loose lead pipes which had been abandoned where they'd fallen.

He approached the bed warily, aware that if Sabo perceived a threat anywhere near his person, Ace could well end up on his backside half way across the ship before he could even blink. Ace's concern was unwarranted however, because as he finally caught sight of his brother he could tell immediately that Sabo was dead to the world. He was curled up on his side facing the door, one hand under his head and the other curled protectively around his midsection, carefully wrapped in starch white bandages.

Ace stared at the bandaged limb, guilt rising up to sit heavily on his chest. He glanced up to his brother's face. Curly blond locks fell across his cheek, covering his scar perfectly. He gently reached out and softly brushed the errant strands out of the way. The blond looked absolutely shattered, with deep, dark circles under his eyes.

Ace let his gaze drift down until he reached Sabo's neck. He hissed, gently pulling down the shirt collar so he could fully examine the heavy bruising that stood out harshly against Sabo's pale skin. He could see each individual finger mark, a testament to just how hard Blackbeard had squeezed. Ace choked as he realised the traitor could've easily have killed his brother.

His vision began to blur as hot tears threatened to fall. He drew in a few deep, shuddering breaths before carefully sitting down on the edge of the bed to kick off his boots. He reached down and slowly pulled up the light sheet at the end of the bed which Sabo had no doubt thrown off at some point. He laid down next to his brother, drawing the sheet up and around their shoulders protectively, creating a cosy cocoon, the small space quickly warming up with the natural heat radiating off of him.

Ace watched his unconscious brother, taking comfort from the soft breathing and silently vowing that Blackbeard was never going to get his traitorous hands on either of his brothers again whilst there was still breath in his body.

It was a long time before he finally succumbed to some much needed rest.

**xxx **

Pain bloomed in Ace's jaw, his head snapping sharply to the left and he dropped to the floor like a sack of potatoes. He grimaced and reached up to cup his cheek. His brother may have a few damaged fingers but he could still throw a damn good punch.

Ace dared a glance at Sabo, who was stood over him, practically vibrating with anger and glowering at him. Ace tried not to flinch. He was the one who lost his temper and lashed out, never Sabo, and for the blond to do so now revealed just how terrified he must have been.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Sabo ranted, restlessly dragging a hand through his hair. "Why do you always let your temper get the better of you? Do you realise how close you came to being incarcerated in Impel Down? You could see the marine ship on the horizon! And do you really think Luffy would have just stood by and let you get executed? _No_, he would have stormed the place!" Ace did flinch at that because there was no denying their little brother would have done everything in his power to free him, regardless of his own safety and whether or not it was actually possible. "You are so damn _lucky_ we overheard about the handover, Ace," Sabo panted heavily and Ace could see he was shaking.

"I'm sorry," Ace whispered weakly, dropping his gaze.

Sabo dropped to his knees beside his fallen brother. He firmly tugged Ace's hand away from his jaw and softly traced the blooming red mark. "You could have dodged that you know," he said with a defeated sigh.

"I deserved it," Ace said quietly, leaning into the gentle touch.

"I'm not gonna argue with that," said Sabo, before roughly pulling the other to his feet. "Seriously though, what were you _thinking_? You couldn't have thought of a better plan than chasing the guy halfway 'round the Grand Line?" he asked, as Ace let himself be guided back to Sabo's bed and firmly sat down. Ace stared at the floor silently. Sabo sighed heavily. "I guess I don't need ask if you're going to go after Blackbeard again, do I?" he said wearily.

"No," Ace said instantly. He turned to Sabo, who still looked far too tired for Ace's liking, despite spending the better part of the last three days sleeping. "He killed Thatch, and that's something I can't forgive. He also seems to have taken an interest in Luffy, which worries me," Ace admitted.

"Mm, he shared that little detail with me too," Sabo confessed, his frown deepening. "With you now out of his reach, he may well start targeting Luffy again," the blond muttered, his concern obvious.

Ace's chest clenched painfully at the suggestion, eyes falling to the heavy bruising still marring Sabo's neck. Worrying about his brothers was something Ace had quickly realised was a given, especially with Luffy. Sabo he could count on to have at least an ounce of common sense but Luffy had absolutely none.

Ace couldn't help the small shiver that ran through him at the thought of Blackbeard hunting their little brother. Luffy would put up a good fight but he would ultimately be overpowered. He may well remain completely oblivious to the danger he was in until it was too late.

"Do you think Blackbeard will go after Luffy straight away?" Sabo asked, worriedly.

Ace considered the question before slowly shaking his head. "I doubt it. If he's going to be denied Warlord status because he lost me, he'll probably sulk and lick his wounds for a while," he said, trying to recall what he knew about the traitor's behaviour. He honestly hadn't spent all that much time around him. The man had always held himself aloof from many other members of the Whitebeard Pirates. Ace had simply thought he was anti-social, not plotting murder and betrayal. "He may be an arrogant bastard, but he's not stupid. He knows we're aware his aim is Luffy now. He won't go after him until he thinks we're out the way," Ace concluded.

"We need to warn Luffy," said Sabo, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Hopefully he'll understand this is serious and be more cautious."

"Ha! Luffy, be _careful_? That'll be the day," Ace huffed. "All he ever does is worry me, stupid little brother that he is," he added. Sabo snorted lightly at the look of despair on his brother's face.

"I need to get rid of Blackbeard," Ace said quietly, resolute in his decision.

"I agree," said Sabo, finally smiling faintly. He lightly punched Ace's shoulder. "But maybe you can up with a plan, rather than charging in blindly. And you should probably speak to Whitebeard," he suggested.

"I made a promise with Luffy that we would live a life without regrets," Ace said, suddenly desperate for Sabo to understand him. "I can't let what Blackbeard did to Thatch go, Sabo, I'd regret it for the rest of my life."

Sabo studied him thoughtfully. "Would you regret not seeing Luffy fulfil his dreams?" he asked quietly, eyes boring into him. Ace felt his face fall slack at the suggestion and he could offer the blond no response because they both knew the answer was a resounding _yes_. As much as he loved and respected Whitebeard and had vowed to make him Pirate King, it was Luffy he wanted to see flourish more than anyone.

"Come on, let's go see if we can raid the galley. I'm starving," Sabo said, abruptly changing the subject, much to Ace's relief. Sabo's words had cut deep. He really did need to think through his next course of action. Blackbeard clearly had the edge over him at the moment, but that didn't mean he was unbeatable.

"Where are you headed next?" Ace asked, as Sabo quickly went about the cabin trying to find his boots.

"Um, I imagine Dragon-san will want me back in the New World soon," Sabo said with a careless shrug. "You're welcome to stay with us as long as you want though," he added with a smile.

Ace gratefully returned it. Spending some time with his brother sounded exactly like what he needed right now.

His stomach chose that moment to growl loudly.

Sabo laughed "Come on, let's go feed that bottomless pit of yours," he teased, tugging Ace from the cabin.

**xxx**

"I thought the doctor said you should still be resting?"

Sabo glanced over the top of the reports in his hand at his brother, who was scowling at him from the doorway of his cabin, his recovered bag in hand. His hat was lost unfortunately, and Ace was already grumbling about having to find a new one.

"I am resting," the blond insisted, gesturing at himself. "See, I'm lying down and everything," he smirked as he returned his attention to the papers. He watched out the corner of one eye as Ace quickly stalked across the cabin, the Commander's possessions being discarded into a corner with a resounding thump before the papers were ripped out of his hands. Ace flung them carelessly onto the desk before dropping down, albeit very carefully as his ribs were still bound, onto the bed beside him.

"I was reading those," said Sabo, staring forlornly across his brother at the desk.

"Well, now you're not," Ace huffed, settling down onto his back.

"I hurt my hand, Ace, not my head." Ace snorted loudly and Sabo swiftly swatted him in retaliation. "I'm perfectly capable of reading a couple of reports," he grumbled but he made no move to reach for them, knowing full well Ace would only throw them somewhere else and he would never find them again – and he really did need to read them at some point.

"It wouldn't just be a couple of reports and you know it," Ace grinned before gently prodding his brother lightly in the forehead. "Besides, you still look far too tired. It's not a good look on you," he added.

Sabo frowned and slapped Ace's hand away. He _was_ tired, he could admit that; it had been a draining few months despite many of the good results the Revolutionaries had been seeing, but he must look worse than he first thought if Ace was choosing voicing his rather unsubtle concern.

"Fine, you win," he conceded. He was pinning all the blame on his paperwork being late on Ace though when Koala came around demanding it. He was almost looking forward to seeing Ace's reaction to the small whirlwind of fury he called his best friend. Let Ace see how he liked having his face pinched and pulled, was all Sabo thought as he settled down and basked in the silence of the cabin.

Just as Sabo was beginning to nod off, Ace gently nudged his arm. "Thanks for coming after me," he whispered.

Sabo's eyes shot open in surprise and he gawked slightly at the Commander, who was steadfastly staring at the ceiling. He hadn't thought that Ace would ever bring himself to acknowledge Sabo's actions, either out of pride or embarrassment, but it seemed Ace could be just as unpredictable as Luffy.

"Don't mention it. You'd have done the same if it was me or Luffy," Sabo said quietly, a soft smile breaking out. He shifted until their shoulders were pressed together. He felt Ace lean into him ever so slightly in return after a moment's hesitation.

"I spoke to Marco," said Ace, clearing his throat, his face a little red which caused Sabo to smirk at his bashfulness. "He said they were relieved I was fine but he wasn't very impressed. He said to tell you, you have permission to punch me if I get any more reckless ideas," he huffed. Sabo had to wonder what on earth the First Division Commander had threatened his brother with to get Ace to tell Sabo that little piece of information.

Sabo chuckled. "I'd have done that even without Phoenix's permission," he assured his brother, only to receive a glare in return. "Was he okay with you staying with us?"

Ace nodded and Sabo could see the relief clearly on his face. He knew his brother had been worrying whether more time away from the crew would be acceptable since he had no plans to go after Blackbeard for time being.

"We're going to meet up in the New-" Ace started before being cut off as a shrill call sounded from the desk.

_Purupurupuru. Purupurupuru._

Sabo groaned as he recognised the sudden noise invading the cabin as his den den mushi. He made to sit up but Ace grabbed his arm.

"Just ignore it," Ace implored, sounding remarkably like Luffy, but Sabo shook his head and leant carefully over his brother to snatch up the screaming snail from the floor.

"I can't ignore it. There are less than ten people in the world who have this number, you and Luffy included," Sabo told his brother, "it'll be important."

He clicked the connection as Ace groaned in despair.

"_Sabo." _

The Revolutionary froze as his breath caught in his chest and his eyes widened, the small snail almost slipping from his grasp. He hadn't heard that voice for years and for him to be calling now could only lead to trouble.

"_It's __Bartholomew __Kuma. I have some information for you. It's about Straw Hat." _

**XXX**

_**To be continued…**_

Ooh, another cliffhanger for you! Aren't I kind? As always, please let me know what you think. I'd be interested to hear what you thought of the action scenes, I'm trying desperately to improve on those so some feedback would be lovely!

Okay, with regards to power levels as I'm anticipating some people will wonder; I've always imagined Ace and Sabo to be pretty much even. I'd give the edge to Ace as I think he has more raw power but Sabo is more calculating, which is why he was able to take advantage of the damage Ace had done to Blackbeard.


	6. Amazon Lily

**Author Note**: You're getting this a few days early as I have some unexpected free time from work this week! And some of you were spot on guessing what Kuma called Sabo about ;)

Thank you to everyone who reviewed the earlier chapters! The response to the last chapter blew me away!

**XXX**

**Chapter 6 - Amazon Lily **

**XXX**

_A heavy silence had fallen all around them. Even Ace had stilled as Sabo's story drew to a close. At Ace's insistence - which had gradually increased to threats - Sabo had reluctantly disclosed the events leading up to his departure from the family home and the subsequent attack. They had heard it once before from Dogra, but to hear it from Sabo himself (with details that were certainly going to give Luffy nightmares) had made the whole event that much more horrific. _

_Luffy suddenly felt even more grateful to the people who had saved his brother, which he hadn't thought possible. He shivered slightly as a cool breeze brushed against him gently as he peered up at Sabo, confusion and upset marring his round face. "I don't understand," he said simply. "How could someone shoot you for sailing near them?" _

_Ace practically snarled as he resumed his agitated stalking. The last time Luffy had seen his brother so upset was when a tramp in Gray Terminal had fired a pistol at him. It hadn't had any effect at all, but Luffy wished there was a more pleasant way of discovering one was bullet proof._

_Sabo sighed and shrugged helplessly. "That's the kind of people the Celestial Dragons are, Luffy," he explained, reaching out to run a hand through Luffy's wild locks. Luffy leaned into the familiar touch, eagerly soaking up the offered comfort. "They're descendants of the Kings who founded the World Government and think that they're above everyone else." _

"_What's the name of the one who shot you?" Ace asked, fists clenched tight at his sides. Sabo shook his head. "Sabo, tell me!" Ace demanded, as he glared down at his blond brother perched on an old tree stump. _

"_No!" _

_Luffy's head swung backwards and forwards as he followed his brother's rather loud argument. He could see a couple of the bandits poking their heads around the corner of the hut, obviously curious about all the noise but wisely keeping out of Ace's way. Luffy almost wished he could join them but he refused to be separated from Sabo. He knew it was irrational, but he half expected to blink and find Sabo had disappeared again. Luffy had been adamantly keeping the blond within arm's reach since he had reappeared the day before. _

"_Come on, tell me who it was!" Ace all but growled. _

_Sabo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose wearily. "Ace, it's not like you can do anything to him so why do you want to know?"_

"_So I can be first in line to punch him for shooting my brother!" Ace huffed, flinging himself onto the stump next to Sabo. _

"_I wanted to be first in line," Luffy grumbled, crossing his arms. _

_Ace and Sabo stared down at him; neither one looked amused. _

"_Luffy, I don't even want to think about you being anywhere near a Celestial Dragon. Either of you," said Sabo quietly, and Luffy was a little alarmed to see that he had paled considerably. _

"_Why do the marines let them get away with stuff like that? How can Gramps?" asked Luffy, biting his lip. He couldn't reconcile the thought of marine hero Garp following the orders of one of those ruthless monsters. _

"_Money and power, what else?" said Sabo ruefully. "The marines can't oppose them, the Celestial Dragons have the Admirals at their beck and call." _

"_Well, someone needs to do something," Luffy muttered, leaning back against Sabo's legs. _

_Sabo grinned and nudged him. "What do you think the Revolutionary Army was founded for?" _

"_That's one of your main goals as a Revolutionary, then? Get rid of the World Government?" asked Ace curiously. _

_Sabo nodded. "Get rid of it and replace it with a proper Government that won't allow slavery or any of the other atrocities that are currently going on."_

_Ace stared at him in shock. "Slavery?" _

_Sabo nodded slowly with a grim expression that Luffy didn't think suited his brother at all. "A lot of Revolutionaries are former slaves, my friend Koala was one. We also have society's outcasts. Were there many bodies found in Gray Terminal after the fire?"_

_Ace and Luffy glanced at each other, the question catching them off guard, before shaking their heads. _

_Sabo grinned. "That's because Dragon-san evacuated them." Luffy felt his jaw drop. "Most of them are still part of the Army in one way or another." _

"_Okay, wasn't expecting to hear that," Ace admitted as Luffy cheered loudly. He may not have liked the majority of the former Gray Terminal residents but that didn't mean they deserved to die. Luffy wondered aloud if they would be able to meet any of them again, ignoring Ace's dry quip of whether he would actually be able to __recognise__ any of them if he ever did. _

"_Promise me something," Sabo requested seriously, cutting off his brother's excited chatter. Ace and Luffy looked at him in surprise. "If you ever do come across a Celestial Dragon, just do as everyone else around you does. Don't pick any fights or do anything stupid." Ace opened his mouth to argue, a scowl fixed firmly on his face but Sabo gripped his forearm tightly. "I mean it, Ace," Sabo ordered firmly. "Forget about what they did to me and about what they might be doing to anyone else. Do not react at all. They might be pathetically weak but that doesn't make them any less dangerous."_

_Luffy watched as his brothers contested in a silent standoff. After several tense moments, Ace finally nodded, although he looked far from happy if the deep set scowl was anything to go by. Sabo relaxed and smiled at him with relief. _

"_I still want to punch one in the face," Ace groused, causing Sabo and Luffy to snicker. _

"_Me too," Sabo admitted. _

"_I bet I can punch one before Ace does," Luffy announced abruptly, a cheeky smirk breaking out as both his brothers burst into laughter. _

_Luffy grinned with delight as he watched the last of the tension drain away from them. He took a flying leap at the pair, knocking them off the tree stump and beginning an impromptu wrestling match which ended up with Ace falling asleep halfway through. Luffy happily declared himself the winner. _

**xxx**

Luffy stared down into the sea of trees from Elder Nyon's humble home in the mountain above the village. The evening was warm and serene with nothing but the chirping sound of the insects for company. The beautiful surroundings felt like they were mocking the young captain as he stared out, munching absently on the single piece of meat he had liberated from the food hall. It wasn't often Luffy claimed to dislike a flavour, especially if it was meat, but the teen could barely taste anything as he chewed and swallowed. Food didn't taste as good when it wasn't shared with his crew.

Luffy paused thoughtfully as his precious people drifted across his mind. He had lost them, his nakama, because he wasn't strong enough to defend them. They had all been sent off to only who knows where and nearly every single one had been injured. Never before had he felt so utterly defeated.

He had also broken his promise to his brother, he acknowledged sadly. Sabo had practically pleaded with him and Ace to never act out around the Celestial Dragons. He had warned them how dangerous they were and that they weren't at all afraid of abusing their authority, but Luffy had let white hot fury override everything else.

It had been hard enough having to kneel before the very same people who had nearly killed his brother; he had clenched his fists so hard that his nails drawn blood, much to Chopper's dismay. Very rarely did Luffy ever felt ill but the revulsion he felt at seeing the Celestial Dragons in the flesh, knowing they didn't care how many lives they destroyed so long as they remained in control, had made him feel physically sick.

Finding Camie in that tank and watching helplessly as Hachi was shot had been the final straw. Luffy had released his pent up anger and frustration - all ten years' worth of it - at the Celestial Dragon in front of him. He had known there was no way word of his rash actions hadn't gotten out and he would no doubt be facing a tongue lashing from his blond brother when they next met. But after hearing Hancock's story, picturing beautiful, vibrant Koala in a slave collar and remembering Sabo's marred features, Luffy couldn't bring himself to regret his actions at all.

The dark haired teen was jolted from his thoughts by the loud rustle of the newspaper from behind him. He glanced back and saw the former Empress tutting as she flicked through the pages. Luffy gave himself a small shake, willing his dark thoughts to cheerier things and took another large bite out of the leg of meat. It may not have been anywhere near as good as Sanji's cooking, but waste not, want not.

Luffy nodded his thanks as Margaret set a steaming mug of tea beside him. She gave him a rather concerned stare as he continued to devour the food, uncaring that any normal person would have choked by now.

"Ha!"

Margaret jumped at Elder Nyon's elated shriek. Luffy swiveled his neck to stare at the little old lady, doing an amazing impression of an owl.

"Something the matter, Nyon-sama?" Margaret enquired lightly, as she placed the second cup of tea in front of her Elder.

"It seems the Marines tried to make a move against Whitebeard. It appears to have backfired on them!" the old woman crowed. "That'll teach 'em. Counting their snakes before they've hatched. Ridiculous."

"Whitebeard?" Luffy asked, curiosity instantly peaked at the mention of his brother's Captain.

"Hm," the Elder stared hard at him over the top of her paper. "Please tell me you've at least heard of Whitebeard," she growled, obviously still sore over Luffy's lack of knowledge of her Empress' Warlord status. Luffy had no idea why she was so offended; he never read the news, it was boring and never had enough pictures.

"I've heard of Whitebeard," Luffy parroted back dutifully as he joined them at the small table.

"That's something at least," Elder Nyon grumbled. Margaret shook her head with a fond but exasperated smile. "The Marines were getting ready to receive one of Whitebeard's top subordinates who'd been captured," Elder Nyon explained. "They put in a summons for everyone, including the Warlords, to make their way to Marineford. It certainly would've been a pain trying to convince our Snake Princess to attend," she added darkly.

"Why did they need everyone?" Margaret asked, as Luffy took a sip of tea.

"Ah," the Elder skimmed the article again. "They were planning to announce the public execution of Portgas D. Ace," she said.

Luffy froze, his heart thudding a mile a minute in his chest. He must have made some sound as Margaret turned to him in concern.

"What's wrong?"

"Who?" Luffy stammered instead of answering her, carefully setting down his mug, hands trembling.

"Ace. Fire Fist Ace," Elder Nyon supplied. "Pirate Blackbeard contacted the Marines and informed them he would hand over Fire Fist Ace if they gave him Warlord status," she explained, seemingly unaware of the inner turmoil currently assaulting her guest.

Luffy had to remind himself to breathe as the world suddenly seemed to fold in on him. He blinked rapidly to try and clear himself of the black spots threatening to overwhelm him.

"Granny," he whispered, and he wasn't at all surprised his voice sounded like he had swallowed a frog, but the old woman continued on as if she hadn't heard him.

"The Marines were going to take advantage of the large chip they gained against Whitebeard but-"

"_Granny!_" The two women jumped as Luffy leapt to his feet and grasped the old woman's shoulders, the young captain desperately trying to remain gentle despite his terror. Margaret had lurched to her knees and Luffy was under no illusion that if he had been anyone else, he would've have been tossed half way down the mountain already. As it was, he was rather grateful for her show of restraint. "He's my big brother! Ace is my big brother!" he yelled, shaking the old woman as much as he dared.

"What?!" Elder Nyon easily shook of the rubber hands and stood up in her chair in order to be eye level with Luffy. "He's your _brother_?" She shared a stunned glance with Margaret.

"I didn't even realised he'd been captured," Luffy exclaimed, fists clenched tightly, mind racing with half a dozen scenarios, each one making him feel even sicker than the last. "What do you mean 'executed'? Does that mean he can't get out of it?" he demanded, heart hammering in his chest.

_Not again…I can't lose one of them again...Ace…_

Luffy whipped off his precious straw hat and began to fumble with the ribbon. To his surprise, Elder Nyon simply huffed and calmly sat herself down again.

"You really ought to at least _try_ to keep up with the goings on in the world," she reprimanded as she primly gathered up the battered newspaper.

"Nyon-sama," Margaret pleaded, as she watched Luffy fight with his hat and nearly drop it in his panic.

"If you'd have let me finish," Elder Nyon glared at the pair, "you'd know by now your brother is already safe."

Luffy paused as his finger finally came into contact with Ace's vivre card.

"Safe?" he repeated, sinking to the floor like a puppet whose string had just been cut. He slowly released his death grip on his hat and it slid from his lap.

"Yes, safe," she confirmed, much more gently than before. Luffy glanced up and she offered him an encouraging smile. "Fire Fist Ace never even reached the handover point. He was rescued from Blackbeard's ship before the marines could formally arrest him."

"That's why you were laughing," Margaret suddenly chipped in.

Elder Nyon nodded and a sly grin appeared. "The marines announced they had Fire Fist in their custody before they had even laid eyes on him. Far too cocky of them, thinking they could keep hold of one of Whitebeard's Commanders."

Luffy carefully picked up his hat and adjusted the red ribbon which he had rather rumpled in his haste to retrieve Ace's vivre card. He delicately peeled the paper he'd been searching for away from the ribbon and laid it flat on his palm.

Pure, unadulterated relief ripped through him as he stared at the paper. A few days ago, he had been perched on Sunny's figurehead, watching the same piece of paper smolder away and valiantly trying to reassure himself Ace didn't need his little brother to rush to his rescue. He'd had faith his big brother would be fine, despite his crew's assurances they would were willing taking a detour if Luffy wanted.

"Is that your brother's vivre card, by any chance?"

Luffy nodded and finally graced his companions with a blinding smile. "Yeah, it was burning a few days ago but it's back to normal now," he told them both. He slammed his hat back onto his head but kept the paper in his hand, unwilling to put it away just yet.

"Well, there you go. Your brother's in a much better place than he was a couple of days ago," Elder Nyon waved a hand dismissively.

"Stupid big brothers," Luffy huffed, crossings his arms with a pout and causing Margaret to snicker quietly at his disgruntlement. "And they always remind me to be careful," he snorted. Now his shock and stomach churning fear had finally settled, Luffy allowed himself to think of all the ways he could lord the whole situation over Ace. He grinned to himself; he was going to have so much fun with this the next time he saw the Commander!

"So, Whitebeard rescued Luffy's big brother, then?" the young tribeswoman enquired, as Luffy reached for his cup of tea, taking several large gulps, suddenly feeling rather lightheaded now his racing heart had finally returned to a more normal rhythm.

"Hm, no, not Whitebeard," the old woman said, flinging a page from the paper at Luffy who caught it easily.

Luffy stared at the photograph taking up most of the page. It had obviously been taken from the deck of a marine warship as he could just make out the front cannons peeking into frame. The rain had blurred out most of the details but Luffy could just about see a rather fearsome looking pirate ship off to the left and in the distance another vessel flying a small triangular flag.

"The ship was flying the colours of the Revolutionary Army," said Elder Nyon with a smirk. "The marines don't appear to know quite what to make of that."

Luffy blinked before abruptly bursting into laughter, startling both his companions. He slapped the table in his mirth, sending Margaret scrambling to catch the cups of tea before they could be upended.

"And pray tell, what is so funny?" Elder Nyon asked, frowning at the jubilant display.

"Sabo!" Luffy managed to force out before another wave of laughter overtook him and he collapsed back onto the floor.

"Who?" asked Margaret, giggling slightly at the captain rolled around on the floor.

"Sabo, our other brother," Luffy hiccupped, wiping at his eyes as tears of joy ran down his face. "He's a Revolutionary. He must have heard Ace had been caught and gone to rescue him!" he grinned.

Elder Nyon rolled her eyes. "Well, he at least seems to keep up with the news," she muttered to herself. "Margaret, would you be so kind as to set up the spare room for this maniac. I don't think it would be wise to send him back to the village tonight. He'll be mobbed."

"Of course, Nyon-sama," Margaret hurried to comply with the request.

Luffy rolled over with a sigh and stared up at the inky black sky, the stars twinkling merrily down at him. As happy as he was that Sabo had managed to rescue Ace – and Luffy had no plans of letting Ace ever live that down – he couldn't stop the small voice in the back of his mind questioning how in the world his brother had managed to get himself to captured in the first place.

Luffy suddenly shivered despite the warmth of the night. He slowly raised Ace's vivre card to his eyes and watched the little piece of paper wriggle around in his carefully clenched hand. He wasn't one to back down from a challenge, but he secretly wished to never meet this Blackbeard person. If he could overpower Ace, Luffy had to wonder who else he could defeat.

**xxx**

Luffy panted as he dashed quickly through the thick jungle undergrowth, leaping logs and swinging from branches. Casting a wary glance over his shoulder to check he hadn't been followed, he finally slowed down with a relieved huff.

He was enjoying his time on Amazon Lily (despite the awful circumstances that had led him to staying there in the first place) but he was getting slightly tired of having to dodge all the women. They were entirely too interested in him, he acknowledged as he made his way deeper into the jungle. He self-consciously rubbed his arm where a spry young girl had managed to pinch him. It had left an angry red mark which would no doubt bruise. Luffy was rather intrigued as to _how_ he was being hurt by them - he was entirely convinced it wasn't intentional - but the bottom line of it was that he was a rubber man. He shouldn't bruise like Usopp.

Making a mental note to ask Elder Nyon when he next saw her, he happily strolled on through the jungle, following the sound of the ocean waves breaking on the coast until the sea opened up before him.

He breathed in a lungful of the fresh salty air before plonking himself down on the grass, arms folded across his chest. The small gulf he had found provided excellent protection from the worst of the sea elements and the women, who had unfortunately discovered he'd been residing with Elder Nyon. Her cosy house was no longer an option as she didn't want it overrun. Luffy didn't mind, he was used to sleeping outside and it reminded him a little of Dawn Island. The view wasn't anywhere near as good as from the Sunny's figurehead, but it made do for the time being.

Luffy felt the grin slip of his face as he thought about the Sunny. He hoped she didn't think they'd abandoned her.

He wished there was some way of knowing if at least one of his nakama had managed to return to Saboady; it had been three weeks since his arrival on Amazon Lily. Nami would be mad at him if he was the last to arrive, Luffy thought despondently.

He cast a quick glance back at the mountain protecting the Kuja tribe's palace.

Hancock had promised him days ago that she would give him safe passage back to Saboady but she had come down with a mystery illness. Luffy had seen her a few times when he had visited with Elder Nyon but he couldn't see anything wrong with her. She was always up and moving around, offering him drinks and food at every opportunity. The only clue he'd seen that she might be a little ill was she would flush a vibrant red whenever he called her name. In all honesty, Luffy thought she was acting rather like Sanji, and he certainly wasn't sick or Chopper would never have let him leave the Sunny.

He was so lost in thought that it took Luffy a few moments to realise that he was no longer staring at ordinary waves, but instead a moving object. He squinted to try and catch a better glimpse. He jumped as a large Sea King breached the waves, leaping high before crashing back down, sending a small tidal wave towards shore.

Luffy listened curiously as it roared. It sounded rather distressed and Luffy watched with bemusement as it thrashed wildly just under the waves. Barely a minute later, there was a final screech and a surge of red erupted.

The now very dead Sea King floated to the surface. Luffy blinked.

"Meat!" he shouted in elation, jumping to his feet and preparing to throw his arm out to his unexpected prize.

A sharp cough interrupted him.

Luffy frowned and looked around in bemusement. The cough sounded again and Luffy glanced down the small embankment to see someone pulling themselves up out of the sea.

Luffy's eyes bulged in recognition.

"Rayleigh!"

The former first mate to the Pirate King looked up and smiled.

"Ah, Luffy, what luck," he said as he finally came to a stop before the shocked teen.

"How did you…" Luffy trailed off and looked around the former pirate, trying to spy a boat but there was nothing but the carcass of the Sea King visible. "How'd you get here?" he wondered.

"I had a small vessel but it went down in a storm," Rayleigh explained, dropping down onto a small boulder and beginning to wring out his soaked clothes. "I had to swim the final leg."

"Did you kill that, then?" Luffy gestured to the Sea King. Rayleigh nodded and he could've sworn he heard the old man mutter how it wasn't the only one either. "Ah! Have any of my nakama arrived back at Sabaody yet?" Luffy asked desperately.

Rayleigh shook his head slowly. "No one had arrived when I left and I doubt they'll be there yet," he explained. Luffy's thin shoulders slumped.

Luffy dropped to the ground at the feet of his unexpected visitor, uncaring that he ended up sitting in the wet patch from Rayleigh's clothes.

"Don't worry, I left my vivre card with Shakki, otherwise I wouldn't be able to move around freely. They'll still be able to return," Rayleigh explained quietly, finally shrugging on his damp shirt.

Luffy nodded slowly, concern over his nakama's safety warring with the delight at seeing Rayleigh again.

"I'm very glad to see you're still in one piece," said Rayleigh. Luffy returned the man's smile weakly. "Now, why don't you recover that delectable Sea King over there whilst I start a fire. I suddenly find myself rather peckish."

**xxx**

"_Luffy!_"

The dark haired teen paused as a shrill, girlish voice drifted out of the jungle. He turned to see Hancock and her small entourage approaching, a small cart of fresh fruit and meat being dragged along behind.

"Luffy!" Hancock called again, rushing forward with little dignity, pale hands clasped together tightly. "Luffy, I brought you some – where did you get that?" she growled, pointing accusingly at the large lump of Sea King Luffy was devouring.

Luffy grinned. "Rayleigh killed it! It's so tasty!" he exclaimed, taking another large bite.

Hancock's face fell and a small pout appeared. "But I'm meant to provide you with food, it's my duty as your wi-"

"Rayleigh-san!" Elder Nyon cried with surprise as she caught sight of the man.

"Gloriosa," Rayleigh greeted the small woman warmly.

Luffy ignored the pleasantries swirling around him in favour of setting upon the new cart of fresh meat Hancock directed him towards.

"You being here concerns me," Elder Nyon grumbled, the dark tone catching Luffy's attention. He peered around Hancock curiously.

"Oh?" Rayleigh enquired lightly.

"Yes, you were able to guess where Luffy was. He's a wanted pirate. If the marines ever find out that Princess-sama has been sheltering him here, they may well decide to revoke her status as Warlord," the old woman worried.

The blunt statement broke Hancock out of her dreamy state and she whirled around, waving a hand dismissively. "Who cares about the marines or status? The most important thing is that Luffy is safe and…Rayleigh-san? When did you get here?"

Elder Nyon threw her hands up in disgust. "You've only just noticed?" she cried in despair.

Luffy laughed and shared a grin with Rayleigh. He looked completely unperturbed and Luffy had to guess he was rather used to the Empress' odd mannerisms.

Rayleigh cleared his throat, regaining the attention of the squabbling women. "The marines won't guess where Luffy is," he explained calmly.

"They won't?" Luffy wondered. In his experience, whether through luck or skill, the marines always seemed to be where he didn't want them and he wouldn't be at all surprised if they suddenly appeared before him.

Rayleigh shook his head. "The very person who sent Luffy flying told me what direction he went," he said.

Luffy stared at him, unable to comprehend what he'd just heard. "You mean Kuma?" he asked, wanting to be sure.

Rayleigh nodded shortly. "When he told me which direction he'd sent you, I realised the Island of Women was directly in your path," he explained.

"Why would he tell you?" Luffy wondered aloud, pulling his straw hat down protectively. "He's the one that separated us, why would he want you to be able to find me?"

"He said he was a Revolutionary."

Luffy's head jerked up and his jaw dropped. "You mean Kuma works with my big brother?" he half shouted.

"Bartholomew Kuma mentioned he was running out of time but he would contact someone called Sabo and inform him of what had happened," said Rayleigh. "I assume this Sabo person is your brother?"

Luffy nodded weakly. He was half relieved that Sabo had been made aware of the situation; hopefully he would be able to stop Ace from doing anything crazy if word got out that the Straw Hat Pirates had been defeated. But he was also a little ashamed. Discounting Ace's recent mishap with Blackbeard, Luffy knew neither one of his brothers would ever have let anyone - regardless of who they were or what position they held – to take away their nakama. Luffy had failed spectacularly in that regard, he thought miserably as he slumped back against the food cart.

"Luffy." The captain gave himself a small shake, ignoring Hancock as she fluttered around him, concerned at his distress, and turned his attention back to Rayleigh. "Back to the point at hand," Rayleigh said. "I assume you're planning on returning to Sabaody?"

Luffy nodded eagerly. "Hammock," the woman in question swooned slightly, "said she'd take me back," he explained.

"Are you sure that's what you should do?" Rayleigh enquired softly. Luffy visibly recoiled.

"What do you mean?" he asked weakly, apprehension settling heavily in his stomach.

Rayleigh's eyes bored into him. "I mean, are you just going to reassemble for the same tragedy to happen again?"

Luffy tugged absently on the hem of his shorts, pondering the question hard. Did he want to gather his crew together and risk losing them all over again? They were headed to the New World. By all accounts, it would be much harder to deal with than anything the Grand Line could throw at them.

He peered up at Rayleigh from underneath the brim of his hat. The man smiled down at him kindly and leant forwards.

"I have a suggestion," he offered, gently tapping the rim of the straw hat. "Will you hear me out?"

Luffy stared at him thoughtfully, before nodding slowly.

**XXX**

_**To be continued…**_

Some dialogue was swiped straight from the anime so all credit to the writers! Next chapter is the last one. Please remember to review!

As I think I've said in a previous chapter, if there are any missing scenes or parts you want to see expanded or just want to throw prompts at me for this 'verse, please feel free! I've been toying with the idea of doing some one shots and already have a few ideas but if there's something specific you guys would like to read just let me know ;)

**On a completely unrelated note, is anyone able to ride to my rescue and be a beta reader for my new fics? I have a couple currently in the works, including a new multi-chaptered fic so if anyone is interested please drop me a review or PM. I'm more than happy to return the favour x **


	7. Rusukaina

**Author Note**: Hey, Mithril! I might have fibbed about when I planned to update ;) Please consider this your moving gift and for generally being such an awesome person!

And to those of you who replied to my SOS plea, thank you so much. Houkiboshi59 is going to beta for me going forward! I encourage you to go check out her fic, they're amazing! Go, go, go!

Unintentionally, this mirrors the first chapter. I didn't realise until I was editing but it works. Also, you have been warned; angsty surprise ahead!

**XXX**

**Chapter 7 - Rusukaina **

**XXX**

"A _Warlord_ is a _Revolutionary_?"

Sabo sighed heavily as he followed his ranting brother through the thicket in search of Luffy. "You want to scream it any louder," he muttered, "it's not like it's a secret or anything."

Ace whirled around and prodded him hard in the chest. "Not _only_ is a Warlord a Revolutionary but he threw our little brother half way across the Grand Line!" Sabo opened his mouth to object that it wasn't even _close_ to being half way but Ace's furious glare silenced him. "What if Luffy had landed in the ocean?"

"Kuma has excellent aim. It's not the most pleasant of experiences, I'll give you that, but you always land where you're meant to," Sabo said in defence of his colleague – or former colleague. Sabo himself was a little confused at the moment as to which side Kuma was actually on, but the fact that he had sent Luffy and his crew away from an Admiral rather than to Impel Down was a plus in Sabo's book. Unfortunately, Ace didn't seem to see it that way.

"And now Luffy is with Silvers Rayleigh!" Ace shook his head as he continued forwards.

"And that's a problem _how_?" Sabo asked, rather confused. "Despite his age, he's still one of the strongest men on the Grand Line. You heard what Kuma said, he went up against an Admiral with no problems whatsoever."

"I don't trust him to deal with Luffy, that's all," Ace threw over his shoulder.

Sabo burst into laughter. "Ace, the man was your father's first mate! I think he can handle Luffy!" He was forced to duck sharply as Ace carelessly let a branch snap back. He glared at his brother, tempted to trip him with his pipe.

"Handle Luffy?" Ace repeated in disbelief, coming to a dead stop and brandishing a newspaper in the blond's face. "You call this 'handling' Luffy? The guy took our little brother to _Marineford!_ His face ended up plastered all over the news! And the marines have reported that he's related to Dragon! Everyone will be after him now!" he huffed.

Sabo barely spared a glance at the newspaper being waved in his face. He'd scrutinised the photo of a beaming Luffy (with a very obvious Silvers Rayleigh hovering in the background) numerous times since its original publication last week in a desperate bid to try and see if Luffy was injured in any way. But the only clue it revealed was Luffy had acquired a large tattoo running the length of his upper arm. 3D2Y didn't mean anything to his concerned older brothers and it had been Koala who had suggested - bright spark that she was - that it was probably a message for his crew. She had been able to make contact with Nico Robin, who was currently with their colleagues in East Blue, and she had filled in the blanks; the Straw Hats were to reassemble in two years.

"Ace," said Sabo, trying desperately to hold onto his remaining patience in the face of his brother's justifiable concern. He wasn't happy about the situation either but there was nothing they could do about it now. "We're here now, okay? So will you please calm down," he begged.

Ace grunted but thankfully made no further argument much to Sabo's relief. His brother had been in over-protective mode ever since the call from Kuma nearly three weeks ago. Sabo could understand Ace's concern. With Luffy separated from his crew he was a vulnerable target to anyone. And the anxiety of coming face to face with Gol D. Roger's closest friend was only increasing Ace's stress levels to the point Sabo was seriously considering dunking him in the ocean to try and cool him off.

"Luffy's probably loving this place," Ace grumbled a short while later as they finally stumbled out of the jungle and into an area blotted with crumbling ruins. Sabo nodded his agreement even as he paused to study the old architecture.

"I'm surprised we haven't heard him shouting already," said Sabo with a grin. "He's not exactly quiet."

Ace snorted. "Maybe I should let him know we're here?" he wondered aloud, throwing his brother a cheeky grin as his hand burst into flames.

"No need."

Ace and Sabo both jumped and swung around, stances immediately shifting to cover each other's backs.

A tall, grey haired man, glasses flashing in the dipping sun smiled at them both warmly. Even if the two hadn't already seen photos of the man, there was no mistaking who this person was.

"Silvers Rayleigh, I assume?" Sabo asked, relaxing slightly, trying to discretely nudge Ace and get him to stop glowering. The blond hoped Ace would focus on the fact that the man had helped Luffy rather than on him being Gol D. Roger's first mate because otherwise this could make for an uncomfortable visit.

Rayleigh nodded politely. "I gather you two are the big brothers Luffy won't stop going on about?"

The pair nodded in unison.

"I'm Sabo," said the Revolutionary, offering the former pirate a warm smile as he tipped his hat.

Rayleigh dipped his head in acknowledgement before turning to Ace, who was standing slightly behind Sabo, tension lining his entire body. "There's no need to ask who you are," said Rayleigh and Sabo saw a fond smile flicker across his face before disappearing as quickly as it came.

Ace glared, dark eyes as hard as steel as he stared up into the face of the man who, if circumstances had been different, could well have been a beloved uncle. "Just because you knew the Pirate King doesn't mean you know me," he growled.

Rayleigh snorted in amusement, gaze flickering to Ace's arm.

"Er, Ace," said Sabo, trying to fight back a smile. "I think he's referring to the fact you have your named tattooed on your arm."

"…oh," Ace whispered, a bright red blush staining his cheeks.

"We understand you've been helping our little brother. Thank you," said Sabo, turning away from his bashful brother before he could burst into laughter. "We hope he hasn't been giving you too much trouble."

Rayleigh grinned. "Not at all. He's rather an eager student if you give him the right motivation," he mused.

"Meat," Ace and Sabo chorused. Rayleigh released a gravelly chuckle.

"Indeed," he acknowledged. "He should be nearly finished with this afternoon's training if you wanted to-"

"ACE!"

A blur of red rammed into the Commander, knocking him into Sabo, who only just managed to hold his balance under the combined weight of his two brothers. "You're okay!" Luffy cried with delight, rubbery limbs wrapped tight around Ace's waist.

Sabo had to smile at the slight embarrassment on Ace's face as he failed to extract himself from his brother's back breaking hug. Even after all these years, his heart still ached a little at the surprise that would filter across Ace's face when Luffy showered him with affection as only he could. He held out hope that one day Ace could accept the unconditional love they both had for him without questioning whether or not he actually deserved it.

"Your vivre card was burning," Luffy pulled back with a frown, a slight accusation tingeing his voice. Ace sighed heavily and gently patted his brother's back. "You worried me," Luffy added as an afterthought.

Ace snorted. "I worried you? You couldn't have caused more trouble if you'd tried," he rebutted, waving the newspaper he had somehow managed to keep hold of in Luffy's face. Luffy didn't even have the grace to look repentant.

"Shishishi! Ace had to be rescued by Sabo!" Luffy suddenly snickered, barely flinching as a fist landed hard on his head.

"He didn't rescue me!" Ace scowled as Luffy burst into joyful laughter, not in least convinced by the adamant denial.

Sabo raised an eyebrow. "What would you call it then? Liberating?" he teased with a smirk, completely ignoring the glare aimed his way as Luffy moved to embrace him. Sabo squeezed him tight, pleased to see his little brother looked to be in good spirits despite his recent misadventure. "You doing okay?" he whispered into Luffy's ear.

The captain nodded and flashed a grin before releasing him. "Did Hammock tell you where we were?"

Ace and Sabo shared a puzzled look.

"Hammock? Don't you mean _Hancock_?" Ace asked, bemused.

"Yeah!" Luffy grinned. "I asked her to give you directions if you turned up at Amazon Lily. Rayleigh said that Kuma guy had talked to Sabo," he explained, eyes darkening slightly as he mentioned the Warlord who had landed him in his current predicament.

Before Sabo could even begin to explain his limited knowledge of Kuma's actions, a soft thud and an obnoxious snore echoed behind them.

"Narcolepsy, by any chance?" Rayleigh asked as he stared down with amusement at the snoring Commander. Luffy crouched down to poke Ace's cheek, trying unsuccessfully to rouse his unconscious brother.

"Yeah," Sabo sighed wearily. He really wasn't surprised it had struck now. Ace had only just recovered from the altercation with Blackbeard and he had hardly slept since receiving the call from Kuma, worry for their little brother taking precedent over his own needs.

"Our camp site isn't far," Rayleigh explained. "It's relatively safer than waiting around here for your brother to wake up."

Sabo couldn't argue with that logic. Rayleigh had obviously offered to train Luffy on this island for a reason and he was rather eager not to run into a fight unless necessary. He gestured for Luffy to grab an arm and together they managed to heave their sleeping brother upright, shouldering his weight between them as they slowly set off after the former pirate, Ace's loud snores the only sound in the quickly gathering twilight.

**xxx**

"So Robin's going to be staying with you guys?" Luffy asked, idly watching Sabo clean his pipe from his position slumped comfortably against Ace. He had barely moved since they'd dropped Ace down against the tree log the night before and whilst the Commander had grumbled, he'd made no move to push their younger brother away when he'd woken earlier that morning to find himself literally wrapped in a rubbery embrace.

Sabo nodded absently. "She's with Bunny Joe right now. They're escorting her to Baltigo to meet Dragon-san," he said. "Want me to give her a message if I see her?"

Luffy shook his head. "Nope. She knows what we all need to do," he grinned.

Sabo raised his head and carefully set his pipe down. "Speaking of things you need to do," he began, blue eyes leveling his little brother with a serious look. "What was it that I said you had to do if you ever ran into a Celestial Dragon? Hm?" Ace snorted as Luffy gave his brother a perfectly innocent stare. "You promised, Luffy," Sabo sighed, a tinge of despair colouring his voice.

"Actually, I think it was Ace that promised not to-"

"Give it up, Lu, you're not fooling anyone," Ace cut in, nudging the teen.

Luffy's shoulders slumped. "Fine, but I'm not sorry I did it. He was hurting my friends," he said, arms folding across his chest and a defiant pout emerging.

"As if it wasn't bad enough to shoot down the bloody flag at Enies Lobby, you just had to go bodily assault one of the bastards too," Sabo dropped his head into his hands. "What are you planning next? A raid on Mariejois?"

"That sounds fun!" Luffy shot up excitedly.

Sabo stared at his brother in dismay. "Ace, help," he whined, causing the man in question to laugh.

"You brought it up, it's your own fault," Ace threw back with a smirk.

"Hey! I beat Ace!" Luffy shouted abruptly.

Ace frowned, sharing a puzzled look with Sabo. "When did you beat me?"

"You said you wanted to punch a Celestial Dragon but I beat you to it!" Luffy crowed happily, dissolving into giggles at his brother's bemused stare. "You needed Sabo to rescue you instead!"

Ace growled. "He didn't rescue me! How many times-"

"What did you expect, Luffy," Sabo chimed in, a sly grin appearing on his face. "After all, Ace is the dead last of the three of us."

Ace sat up sharply, dislodging Luffy from his resting post with a startled yelp.

"What do you mean 'dead last'?" Ace ground out, eyes narrowing as his brothers both grinned smugly.

"Well, Luffy's Captain and I'm Chief of Staff, which makes me Second in Command, whilst you're only Second Division Commander," said Sabo, making a show of taping his chin thoughtfully. Luffy laughed as Ace frowned. "You answer to both your Captain _and_ Marco the Phoenix, so I suppose that means technically you're dead last," he smirked.

Ace leveled both his brothers with a dark glare.

"I may be dead last but I can still beat the pair of you," he promised as he leapt to his feet and proceeded to show his brothers exactly what the 'dead last' could do to them.

**xxx**

"That was certainly enlightening," Rayleigh offered with an amused smile as the Revolutionary dropped to the ground beside him, spread eagled and panting heavily.

The old pirate had been out scouting most of the morning for new training sites for Luffy and had given the three brothers only a cursory glance when he had returned to camp to find them lunging at each other with a ferocity which would have alarmed almost anyone else. "Are you three always this lively?" he wondered.

"Pretty much," the blond conceded, although he didn't admit that their recent roughhousing had been practically tame in comparison to the squabbles they would get into as children. Ace had apparently learnt some self-control in the last decade. He'd still left them with some impressive bruises though.

Rayleigh passed over a small mug of fresh water before turning to watch Ace and Luffy as they continued to spar.

"I hope you don't mind us being here, interrupting Luffy's training," Sabo said, taking a small sip of the cool beverage.

Rayleigh smiled warmly, shaking his head slightly. "Not at all," he assured the young man before him. "I've only just realised Luffy's been holding back on me if this is how he acts when he's happy. Despite being thoroughly eager to be here, I can see now he was obviously still a little upset. Training with you and Ace will be good for him and I'll admit, you're saving my old legs by sparring with him," said Rayleigh, before frowning thoughtfully as Luffy went sailing past them into a tree thanks to a well-aimed punch from Ace. "Although, this doesn't look much like sparring as it does a beating," he conceded.

Sabo hummed softly as they watched Luffy tried to untangle himself from the foliage. "Yeah, he's never beaten either one us," he admitted with a fond grin.

A loud squawk from above interrupted anything Rayleigh might have had to say on that admission. Sabo looked up just in time to catch the bundle of papers before they landed on his head. He glared up at the hovering bird Koala had chosen to send his daily reports with. Every time - without fail - his friend managed to pick the most awkwardly behaved one. She swore she never did it on purpose, claiming he was just bad with animals but the blond wasn't so sure.

"Stupid bird," he muttered darkly as it flapped away back to whichever island Koala had decided to dock on. They'd all agreed it would be wise for the Revolutionary ship to move away from Rusukaina and return in a couple of weeks to collect their wayward Chief of Staff. Even though they were in the Calm Belt, they couldn't afford the risk of a ship passing through and recognising them, so Koala had assumed command of the Revolutionaries and gone off to restock at another island. She had refused to allow Sabo to skirt his responsibilities however and was sending him regular reports together with the news.

Sabo honestly didn't mind. He knew what his job was and he enjoyed it. He just hoped she picked a different bird tomorrow or he was going to be feeding the bloody thing to Luffy for lunch.

He unrolled the newspaper, casting aside the reports for the moment. He blinked at the bold headline for several seconds before cursing up a storm and diving for Koala's reports.

Rayleigh stared at him in amazement. Ace and Luffy both froze and turned to him in disbelief as their usually calm and mild mannered brother ranted as he whipped through the sheets of paper.

"What the hell is wrong?" Ace asked, sharing an uneasy look with Luffy as they cautiously approached.

"Blackbeard broke into Impel Down," said Sabo shortly, thrusting the newspaper at Ace who gawked in disbelief. "He's released several Level Six prisoners, including Head Jailor Shiliew – a marine who used such excessive violence on the prisoners he ended up imprisoned himself!" the blond snarled.

"Shit," Ace muttered, quickly scanning the headline article. "Hang on, there's no mention of that in here."

"Of course there isn't," said Sabo, flashing him a slightly impatient look as he waved around the papers in his hand. "You really think the marines want everyone to know high security prisoners are on the loose? No, Ivankov managed to escape with Inazuma and several others, including Crocodile and Buggy the Clown. They stole a marine warship and escaped through the Calm Belt. Ivankov managed to contact Dragon-san and fill him in. Their eyewitness reports confirm it was Blackbeard."

"Never did like that man," Rayleigh muttered, as he carefully cleaned his glasses. Ace had no time to question how Rayleigh knew Blackbeard as Luffy tugged his arm.

"Hey, the Whitebeard Pirates are mentioned here," he chirped, directing Ace's attention to a small column at the bottom of the page.

"Blackbeard has recently been spotted in the New World near the island of Foodvalten, currently under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates," Ace summarised. "That's not too far into the New World, I bet Pops is nearly there, if he isn't already."

"They're certainly rather late reporting this news if your colleagues have already managed to touch base with Dragon," Rayleigh commented. "When did the break out occur?" he asked Sabo.

"Last week," said Sabo, shortly.

"This says the marines managed to re-capture the prisoners," Luffy pointed out, still reading over Ace's shoulder.

"That's a lie," Sabo told him. "We know Ivankov and the others definitely escaped. Unsurprisingly, the marines obviously wanted to keep their shortcoming on the down low," he added, humourlessly.

"I bet Gramps is mad," said Luffy, shuddering slightly at the mental image of an angry Garp. It was a painful enough experience running into the old marine when he was in a good mood.

"There's nothing else in these," said Sabo, finally reaching then end of his reports. "It's just a rehash of what's in the paper." Ace held out a hand and Sabo turned them over without hesitation.

"What the hell is Blackbeard playing at?" Ace muttered, thoroughly confused at the actions of his former crewmate. Sabo shrugged.

"Hey, is this Blackbeard?" Luffy asked, pulling out a wanted poster of Blackbeard which had been inserted into the paper. "I've met this guy!"

Ace's head shot up. "What?! When?"

"Ages ago on Jaya," Luffy explained, unperturbed by his brother's reaction. "He said the pie was good and it really wasn't. Sanji's is definitely better."

Ace and Sabo glanced at each other in concern.

"He didn't try anything, did he?" Ace asked.

Luffy shook his head. "No, he just rattled on about following dreams or something," he shrugged. "I'm not sure I liked him," he admitted.

"Luffy," Ace said, reaching out and gently grasping his brother's chin, forcing the younger to meet his gaze. "If you ever see him again, I want you to turn and around and run as fast as you can in the other direction. No, I mean it," Ace cut off the petulant complaint even as Sabo marvelled at the irony of his words. "Don't even attempt to fight him. He managed to beat me and he nearly killed Sabo, so do not go near him. Understood?"

Luffy cast an alarmed glance in Sabo's direction before nodding as best he could with his jaw still locked in Ace's grip.

"Okay," he whispered softly.

Sabo didn't like seeing such a scared look in his little brother's eyes; he never had. It always reminded him of when Porchmey had gotten a hold of the young boy. But putting the fear into him would ensure that Luffy actually listened to them, if not for his own safety, then for the safety of his crew.

The blond heaved a weary sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

A noise of surprise came from his left and he glanced over to see Rayleigh staring up in mild astonishment.

"What in the world?" the old man muttered.

The three brothers followed his gaze to the sky and stared as a flock of newspaper carrier birds flew over them. There were easily a hundred or so flying straight overhead, with dozens more splitting off into different directions.

They all watched as a bird spied them and broke away, swooping down to drop a paper at Rayleigh's feet before dashing off, the bag on its back bulging to the point they were all surprised it could still fly.

"Breaking news," Rayleigh muttered, reaching for the paper.

"The hell could've happened now?" Ace asked Sabo, snagging Luffy's arm before he could make to catch one of the birds for himself.

"What's it say?" Sabo finally asked Rayleigh, not at all sure he liked the uneasy look that had appeared on the man's face.

"Blackbeard clashed with the Whitebeard Pirates on Foodvalten," Rayleigh explained, voice shaking ever so slightly as he looked up and stared straight at Ace. "Whitebeard is dead."

Time seemed to freeze as the three brothers absorbed the unbelievable statement.

Sabo slowly turned towards Ace who had gone as still as a statue. Luffy's gaze was darting quickly between Ace and Rayleigh, eyes blown wide with shock.

"That can't be true," Ace trailed off as his voice broke.

Rayleigh slowly handed over the newspaper. Ace reached out with shaking hands to take it. Sabo saw his breath hitch as he read the headline.

"Whitebeard died trying to defend the island's inhabitants," said Rayleigh quietly, as if speaking any louder would shatter the young man in front of him. "Eyewitness reports state that Blackbeard killed Whitebeard."

"They shot him," Ace whispered in disbelief.

Heart aching for his brother, Sabo stood and peered at the paper in the Commander's trembling hands. There was a stark black and white photo of Edward Newgate, Captain of the Whitebeard Pirates and strongest man in the world, standing proud but unmistakably dead in the centre of a small town, bullet holes riddling his chest. By far the most disturbing wound however, was the fist-shaped hole in the middle of the man's rib cage, as if someone had reached into his very body and ripped out his soul.

"It's believed ill health played a part. Blackbeard wouldn't have stood a chance otherwise," Rayleigh acknowledged, unshed tears clearly visible in his eyes. Sabo felt a rush of respect for the man who clearly held Whitebeard in such high regard.

"Ace," Luffy called, reaching out for his brother but the Commander stumbled back and Luffy's hand froze mid-air.

"Don't," Ace choked, tears falling silently down his face. "I'll hurt you," he whispered and indeed Sabo could now see steam rolling off the freckled man in waves as his control began to shatter. "Just…just stay away from me," he gasped before whirling around and storming off into the jungle leaving two stunned brothers in his wake.

Sabo jumped as Luffy sidled up next to him and slipped his hand into the Revolutionary's. He looked down to see Luffy was biting his lip worriedly as he stared after Ace.

"The last time Ace looked like that Dadan had to tie him to a tree," said Luffy, so softly the blond nearly missed it.

"Why?" Sabo mused, wincing slightly as a column of fire erupted above the tree line.

"Dogra had just told us about you …" Luffy trailed off, squeezing Sabo's hand tightly.

Sabo swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. Stupidly, he had never really thought about how his brothers had reacted upon hearing the news of his apparent demise and to learn about it now, after so many years, was like a kick to the stomach.

"You'd best follow him," Rayleigh interrupted from behind them. Sabo and Luffy both stared at him dumbly. "I doubt anything on the island would try to attack him right now but better safe than sorry."

"Come on," said Sabo, gently tugging Luffy along next to him although no encouragement was needed as the pair quickly plunged into the jungle after their grief stricken sibling.

**xxx**

Ace stared at the ocean, the setting sun casting a beautiful glow upon the surface and bathing it a serene yellow. The calmness of it all mocked him, causing another involuntarily burst of flames to escape him. However, even in his current state of mind numbing pain, Ace still had enough sense to direct the angry, flickering flames away from his two most precious people, who he could still feel standing a short distance away.

They hadn't moved and he honestly hadn't expected them too. They were both as stubborn as each other and the pair of them combined easily became an unmovable force as they stood flanking him protectively.

The silence that had fallen over them was almost as suffocating as the heat rolling off of Ace's body. Ace had preferred the yelling. He could fight back against the yelling, he thought absently.

"_It should've been me! If you hadn't saved me, none of this would've happened!"_

_"You're right. It'd be a hell of a lot of worse. You'd have been sentenced to execution, Luffy and I would've tried rescuing you and someone would've been killed!"_

Ace shuddered as Sabo's words echoed around his head, fresh tears dripping down his face.

"_Ace! Listen to me! Whitebeard's last order was for his crew to retreat! He gave his life so they could escape and if you chase after Blackbeard now that will have all been in vain."_

Many people – primarily his brothers - had done some stupid things over the years that had made him angry, but Whitebeard's self-sacrificing actions were by far the worst.

Sabo had managed to wrestle the paper away from him before he could incinerate it and whilst a large part of Ace had rebelled against hearing any more details, he was unbelievably relieved there had only been one casualty and Whitebeard passed away surrounded by his sons. They had refused to leave, only respecting their Captain's order to not interfere. The only one missing from his side had been Ace.

But Ace couldn't regret not being there. He'd chosen to find Luffy rather than meet up with his crew and he would never regret that. He'd made the mistake of not chasing after one of his brothers before and for six long years had thought he'd lost something irreplaceable.

But a part of Ace was screaming at Whitebeard for not allowing anyone to help. He couldn't understand _how_ Marco or anyone else had managed to refrain from stepping in. The larger part was in complete awe of the man he proudly called Pops. He had never asked for more of his crew than he was willing to give himself and it was the man's unwillingness to send those he took under his flag to an early grave that had led to his final order.

It hadn't made acceptance of the facts any easier to bear however, and the brunt of his anger had been felt by the jungle forest, one large swathe of it now only blackened ashes.

A cool sea breeze snatched at the young man, causing his tense and aching body to tremble violently. The unexpected motion finally broke the will power that was keeping him standing. With a strangled sob, his knees collapsed beneath him.

He never hit the ground…

Two pairs of hands latched onto their brother and gently eased him down. Any other day, Ace would've been rather embarrassed to find himself practically sitting in Sabo's lap but as it was he couldn't bring himself to care. Instead, he could only burrow deeper into the welcoming embrace, resting his throbbing head in the hollow of his brother's throat. A second pair of skinny arms moved to wrap tightly around his middle as a warm body curled itself into his side.

As if from a great distance, Ace could vaguely make out his name being whispered like a mantra, Luffy's soft and familiar voice a soothing balm to his broken heart. The rubbery arms tightened unconsciously and Ace had to wonder whether Luffy believed if he kept calling for him it would be enough to keep his brother with them.

Sabo was silent. He offered no condolences or reassurances. There was nothing that could be said to make it better. Rather, his strong arms promised only shelter and an anchor to ground him.

Ace squeezed his eyes shut tight as he slowly moved to grasp his brothers in return, fingers tangling in red and blue.

"_Why won't you just let me go?"_

"…_Because you're our brother."_

**xxx**

Luffy ran a soft hand through dark locks, mindful not to wake his fitfully sleeping brother. It had taken some gentle coaxing from Sabo to encourage Ace to return to their makeshift camp and he had passed out almost as soon as they'd sat him down, exhaustion finally catching up to him.

In their absence, Koala had sent several more reports, which the blond was currently pouring over, each one detailing further attacks on islands under the protection of Whitebeard's flag. News of the Yonko's death had travelled swiftly and the world was in uproar. Pirates from all over the Grand Line were setting sail for the New World after word had gotten out of Whitebeard's declaration of the One Piece's existence.

A soft rustle of paper captured Luffy's attention and he watched with mild interest as a bird swooped down and dropped yet another report onto Sabo's growing pile.

Sabo frowned in displeasure as he reached for it.

"Aren't people going to notice if there's so many delivery birds landing on this island?" Luffy asked curiously.

Sabo shook his head as he began reading. "No one will care right now," he muttered before groaning lightly.

Luffy cocked his head. "What?"

Sabo handed over the report, careful not to jostle Ace as he slept between them.

"They've finally connected the dots between Gol D. Roger and Ace," Sabo explained, as Luffy read. "They're proclaiming Whitebeard was trying to make Ace the next Pirate King."

"I'm gonna be Pirate King," Luffy declared unnecessarily as he returned to petting his brother's hair, report being thrown aside in disinterest.

"We've never doubted that for a second," Sabo assured him.

Luffy returned his grin for a moment before his face fell. Dark eyes were tinged with sorrow as he met his brother's gaze.

"Is Ace gonna be okay?" he asked softly, concerned for his brother's future now everyone knew whose child he was.

Sabo smiled before carefully rearranging his black coat which he'd thrown protectively over Ace. Their brother certainly didn't need it for warmth but it seemed to offer him some comfort seeing as how he'd curled himself up under it.

"Yes," Sabo said firmly. "He may not think so right now, but he's not alone. He has us and his crew. He'll be fine."

**xxx**

Subdued wasn't a word often associated with Fire Fist Ace but it was the only word that aptly fit him in the days following Whitebeard's demise. He spent most of his time sleeping, only rousing when Sabo set Luffy on him to make him eat.

Ace wasn't above admitting his brothers were his lifeline in the days that followed. One or both were always within arm's reach, helping hands and soothing voices overpowering the endless darkness that threatened to overwhelm him.

So it was a surprise to Ace for him awaken on the fifth day and discover both his brothers were currently absent from camp. Unconcerned, he rolled onto his back and stared up at the bright blue sky, fluffy clouds drifting by lazily.

One even looked like Whitebeard's mustache, a thought that made Ace's chest ache but he was quickly able to damp down the bitter sadness. He refused to succumb to it, he vowed, finally heaving himself upright.

His hand knocked into a precariously stacked pile of papers that wobbled for a single second before tipping over. He quickly gathered them up again, hoping they weren't in any particular order when an island's name caught his eye. He quickly snatched it up.

Annoyance rather than anger filled him as he read. It seemed the world apparently thought now Whitebeard was dead his former territories were now free reign for anyone to pillage.

Ace shook his head as he stacked the report back into the pile. He had no doubt that as soon as Marco was able to regroup, the Whitebeard Pirates would resurface and show the world they weren't to be trifled with. And Ace would be right there with them. He refused to allow the people that his father had offered sanctuary and protection to fall with their Captain. It would've been the last thing Whitebeard wanted and quite frankly, he couldn't wallow forever. If Marco could see him now, he'd kick his arse into shape before you could say 'Moby Dick'.

"Ah, you're awake." Ace looked up as a figure emerged from the jungle. Silvers Rayleigh offered him a pleasant smile as he dropped onto a log beside him. "How are you feeling?"

Ace managed a noncommittal shrug. "Still foolishly hoping this is all a bad dream and Pops will come back like Sabo did four years ago, but I don't think I'm that lucky," he admitted ruefully.

Rayleigh smiled wistfully. "Few ever are," he said softly.

Ace studied the man thoughtfully as, for the first time, he considered how many loved ones the old pirate must have lost over the years.

Rayleigh carefully removed his glasses and began polishing them. "Have you thought about what you want to do next?"

Ace nodded. "I'm going to go back to the Moby Dick. Marco'll need all the help he can get to deal with all that," he said, waving a hand at his brother's reports.

"I imagine so," Rayleigh agreed. "I believe Sabo's friend, Koala, is currently on route to collect him. Apparently their presence has been requested by Dragon."

Ace nodded, pleased. As much as he wanted to spend more time with Luffy as planned, there were more pressing matters to be dealt with. "Where are Sabo and Luffy, anyway?" he asked. They certainly wouldn't have gone far, but Luffy wasn't exactly the quietest person and Ace had yet to hear a peep out of him.

Rayleigh grinned. "Luffy requested Sabo show him how to imbue an object with Haki after your brother gave a demonstration," he said with amusement. "It's very much a case of Luffy trying to run before he can walk but he was most insistent. He's been working very hard the last few days. I wouldn't be surprised if he mastered it all before our time here is up," the old man admitted.

Ace grinned, pride for his little brother welling up. "That's Luffy for ya. Always doing the impossible. Although, if he could do it with a little more thought to his own safety, his big brothers would greatly appreciate it," he added as an afterthought.

Rayleigh chuckled. "They're very lucky, you know," he said, "to have you as a brother."

Ace blinked at the man in surprise before a soft smile spread across his face, chasing away the final hints of despair in his eyes. He shook his head slowly. "I'm the lucky one," he corrected. He didn't want to image his life without Sabo's steadfast presence or Luffy's smile. His world would be a much darker place without them.

A short while later, Ace ambled through the jungle towards the clearing Rayleigh had directed him to with a knowing smile. He grinned as Luffy's indignant squawks and Sabo's light chuckles finally reached his ears. He paused at the edge of the clearing, watching with amusement as Luffy crewed up his face in concentration, tongue poking out the side of his mouth and Sabo's lead pipe clenched tightly in his hands.

Sabo caught sight of him and winked at him over Luffy's head as he once again tried to explain to their little brother he was jumping ahead a little in his training. Luffy, of course, was having none of it.

Ace smiled and rolled his eyes even as he settled back to watch. _Yes_, he thought, _he was the lucky one_.

_Thank you for loving me._

**XXX**

I'm a little sad this is over actually, writing this was so much fun!

Thank you for everyone who stuck with me through this, your reviews were much appreciated and I hope the conclusion satisfied you! This isn't the end of the little 'verse, however, as I have an alarmingly long list of one shots to add to it. Expect to see the first of them post summer!

I shan't be gone long however, expect to see me again very shortly when I hope you'll check out my new fics.


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